The Truth Beyond the Dream
by Nikki of Spira
Summary: When Tidus returns home, he discovers the shocking truth behind his reappearance and the dire consequences it will have on Spira. Now forced to choose a side in a war seventeen years in the making, Tidus must find a way to stop it, or everyone in Spira may cease to exist. Rated M for a reason. TidusxYuna
1. The Dream

**Author's Note; Please Read for Clarity:** _I do not own any material related to the Final Fantasy franchise. This story follows canon up to the 'good ending' only, in Final Fantasy X-2. This initially was a two chapter, short story. If you have read the first two chapters before, please go back and read them again. Not only have they been revised and added to, but they're essential in understanding the rest of the story, since there's a massive time jump in chapter 3. The first two chapters now serve as a prologue._

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Tidus stood by the window of his room at the Luca Inn, gazing out at the full moon. The sound of waves crashing in the distance only heightened his anxiety as he thought about the events surrounding his return. It had been ten hours now since he reappeared in the waters of Besaid with still no idea of where he had been in the time before.

He had been gone two years—a harsh reality he was still struggling to accept. Upon reaching Zanarkand on Yuna's pilgrimage, he had resigned himself to his fate, knowing once they defeated Yu Yevon he would fade. Only he thought that meant residing in the Farplane with his father and Auron, which proved to be an inaccurate assumption on his part. After his brief reunion with them, the darkness came. Far worse, he was conscious of it. Alone and trapped in what he considered to be some type of eternal abyss. It was as though he had ceased to exist, but only to the outside world. His memory was still a bit foggy, but one thing was clear, the years he spent in that dark void felt more like a few days, if anything, he was grateful for the absence of time, but it hadn't made it any less disturbing.

Feeling more anxious by the minute, he retreated over to the queen size bed in the middle of the room and sat on the edge, fidgeting with the blue comforter. At this rate, he was certain his sanity would be gone within the hour if he continued to dwell on what he couldn't change.

Exhaling heavily, he forced himself to take in his surroundings, something he had neglected to do earlier. The aqua painted walls and beige shaggy carpet gave the room a seaside feel with just the right touch of warmth added from the dim light of the lamp on the nightstand. Oddly enough, the décor reminded him of his best friend, Trin. He hadn't thought of her in a long time. She had a strange obsession with seashells, and every piece of furniture in the room seemed to pay homage to it, from the leather sofa against the wall near the bathroom, to the wooden nightstands guarding the bed. Even the mahogany dresser to the left of the door was no exception, complete with a mirror in the shape of a seashell. He smiled. This was definitely something Yuna would appreciate more than him.

Just as his muscles relaxed, his mind drifted to the other thoughts which plagued him since his return—Yuna's adventure. Hearing all about her search for him and being lured into a twisted plot involving Shuyin made him uneasy. It troubled him even more that the blitzball star from a thousand years ago looked exactly like him. Did the fayth mold him from the image of Shuyin? Was he really just a dream returned to Yuna because she destroyed Vegnagun? All these questions swirled in his mind making him nauseous.

The sound of the door opening snapped Tidus out of his gloomy reverie. Holding a cardboard tray of the lattes he'd requested, the love of his life stepped into the room and shut the door behind with a swing of her boot. The moment her eyes met with his, her cheerful expression changed into one of concern.

"You look upset. Are you okay?" Yuna asked, setting the tray of lattes on the dresser.

Hoping to convince her otherwise, Tidus flashed his best grin. "I'm fine."

The wide smile she gave in return led him to believe she had bought his lie. He felt awful for not being honest with her, but the last thing he wanted was to worry Yuna, especially after all she had been through. This was his burden and his alone.

With the lattes in hand, she sat next to him on the bed and handed him one of the cups. He took the styrofoam container from her and rested it on his knee, studying her as she sipped on her latte. She sure had changed while he was gone. Her mocha colored hair was shorter and cut in a layered style which he thought suited the shape of her face. All the new muscle tones on her legs and arms were a clear result of the time she had spent fighting fiends on her latest adventure. Aside from the physical changes, what really surprised him was her shift in attitude. She was much more confident and outgoing than before. It was evident just from her choice in attire that she had embraced a more carefree persona.

His eyes drifted down to the thin black material holding the front of her top together—the Zanarkand Abes symbol. His heart sank. As flattered as he was of her tribute to him, he couldn't help but feel horrible at the same time. Leaving her heartbroken and confused the way he did on that airship had clearly made her unable to move on.

"Gil for your thoughts?"

From the amused look on her face, she must've caught him staring at the symbol on her chest. A warm flush spread across his cheeks. In a feeble attempt to hide his embarrassment, he tore his eyes away from hers and looked down at the cup of latte in his hand. "Sorry. I...uh...kinda drifted off somewhere." He then cringed at how stupid he sounded.

"Do I wanna know where?"

The playfulness in her voice surprised him a little. He shut his eyes and gnawed on his bottom lip, forcing back the naughty images that had briefly entered his mind. "I was thinking about our last moments together on the airship."

When he opened his eyes, he regretted every syllable he had uttered. Yuna's face had dropped to a somber expression and a tear slid down her cheek. "I'm sorry." He instinctively ran a hand down her back in an effort to soothe the painful memories from her mind. "I wasn't thinking. I was just—"

"No, it's alright. I didn't think I would react this way now that I have you back." She wiped the tear from her cheek and drew in a quick breath. "It still hurts, you know…thinking about it. I missed you so much. You don't think the fayth will…"

And there it was. The moment he had been dreading for the past ten hours. She may not have actually finished her question, but he knew exactly what she was about to ask. Would the fayth keep their promise? Would he disappear again without warning? He wanted nothing more than to reassure her, but all he could offer were more questions than answers. His heart thumped against his chest like a drum at a funeral, knowing all too well confiding in her about his experience would only make her more distraught. He couldn't let that happen.

"Tidus?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Yuna. I'm back for good. The fayth were true to their word." His stomach twisted with dread as the words oozed out of his mouth like a vile poison, knowing they may come back to haunt him one day.

Yuna's smile was forced as if she had sensed his dishonesty. "I don't really expect you to know that for sure. But I will hold out hope that the fayth won't rip you from me twice in a lifetime."

Somewhat relieved, Tidus released a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding and set his latte on the nightstand then returned to gaze into her bicolored depths. "I want nothing more than for you to be happy."

There was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes with his admission as though she had misinterpreted it for something else. "You never answered me back on the airship, you know."

His mind swirled in a fog, trying to remember what she was referring to. He had been so consumed by guilt a moment ago and tormented by his experience before returning to this world it was difficult for him to think straight.

"I told you I loved you. And you never said anything in return."

The memory of that day flooded back into his mind. Time felt like it had come to a screeching halt when she professed her love for him. He knew nothing could stop him from fading. Those three words not only melted his heart, but tore at it like razor blades. It was a cruel twist of fate and a bittersweet end to their short lived romance. "Saying the words would've only made it more painful."

Yuna frowned. "For who? You or me?"

"Both of us." With a heavy sigh, he took the cup from her hands and set it on the nightstand then returned to lace his hand with hers. He'd never been in love before. The only times he'd ever said those three words to a girl had been solely to ensure some action in bed. This time was different. He truly had deep feelings for this woman and couldn't imagine a life without her in it. "I love you, Yuna. Now and always."

There was a long pause accompanied by a heavy tension between them. He'd been struggling all day to resist his primal urges, but right now, the desire in her eyes was threatening to shatter his resolve. Just when he thought it was too much to bear, her rose colored lips parted, ever so slightly, to whisper, "Show me."

His pulse quickened. Her request caught him a little off guard. Did she know what she was asking? It was doubtful she was that naïve, but nonetheless, he was a little surprised. Yes, they had rented out a room at the Luca Inn, but he assumed she wanted to use it to be alone and just talk—not that he wasn't all for her offer, after all, he had been fending off his desires the second they had left Besaid. "Are you sure about this? Just because we have this room doesn't mean we have to—"

"Shhh," she said, silencing him with a finger to his lips. "I know, but I want to."

It was becoming extremely difficult for him to ignore the throbbing in his loins with each passing second. If they started something she was unwilling to finish, he was afraid a cold shower would not be enough to deflate his excitement. He moved her hand away from his mouth and slid it down to his chest where he steadied it against him. "Have you done this before?"

Judging from the shade of pink spreading across her cheeks, it was safe for him to assume she had been holding out for him this whole time. "Have you?"

Another question he didn't want to answer. Between the loss of his parents and being left to fend for himself at a young age with Auron checking in every so often, he had been free to do whatever he wanted. And that included trying to fill the loss of a family with a string of failed romantic relationships, leading to more romps in bed than he cared to admit. "I did a lot of stupid things in Zanarkand, Yuna. Trying to fill the void of being alone was one of them."

"I see," she said, looking down at her lap as though she were disappointed with his answer.

"Those girls never meant anything to me." Tidus winced, realizing what his choice of words implied. "Wait, that didn't come out right. What I meant to say was that I was never in love with them—with anyone until I met you. So, it would be different for me this time. Does that make sense?"

Yuna giggled and nodded.

There was something so innocent, yet sexy, at the way she looked at him just then. He could hardly contain himself any longer. They hadn't even kissed since he came back and all he could think about was ripping off her clothes and tasting every inch of her body, but this was _his_ Yuna. He wasn't going to treat her like those other girls. She was special and he was going to make sure she knew it after tonight.

Brushing her cheek with his hand, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. They were soft and moist, moving over his in a slow seductive manner. He had almost forgotten how good this had felt from the first kiss they had shared at the lake in Macalania. It was as though he had been transported to another time and place where nothing existed but the two of them.

His body burned with desire as he deepened the kiss, pulling her close and running a hand up her back then down to her waist. The gorgeous woman in his arms buried her hands into his unruly blond hair and released a moan into his mouth in reply. Kissing her like this was far better than he had imagined. If things continued at this pace, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make the night last as long as he had envisioned.

Breaking their kiss, he moved his lips to the nape of her neck and lavished the tender flesh with sensual kisses in a line all the way down to her collarbone. The erotic sounds escaping her lips almost sent him over the edge. Before he could form a coherent thought, she had unbuckled his blitz uniform and ran her hands down the muscles of his chest, venturing lower and lower.

He caught her wrists before they could travel down any further and smiled against her neck. This woman drove him crazy, if she didn't know that before it had to be evident now from his growing arousal.

"I've waited over two years for you. Don't make me wait much longer," she pleaded.

As much as he didn't want to rush this experience, hearing those words run off her tongue like honey made him become unglued. His lips crashed onto hers, moving with a salacious hunger as if he were trying to devour them. The feeling of her delicate hands roaming up his back only drove him to intensify his actions. Leaning her down onto the bed, he slid his hand up her thigh and squeezed gently as he moved it over her hip then up to her waist.

It had been quite a while since he had engaged in any sexual activity. And honestly, his body was starving for the intimacy, especially when it came to the woman he had been desperately in love with for the better part of a year. With that in mind, he was unsure if he would be able to subdue his urges long enough to give her a proper first experience. His hands and lips were everywhere, adopting the approach of a clumsy lover rather than the sensual one he had initially planned to introduce. He wanted her so badly, but he knew Yuna deserved better than the hurried actions he was providing.

Just when he thought he had regained some sort of control, her hand slid over the bulge in his shorts and all hope was lost. The loud hiss he made against her lips surprised him. He had never been a vocal lover in the past—just from his reaction now, he sensed that was about to change.

Since his lover had dared to become more adventurous, he only found it fair to reciprocate the attention with a bold move of his own. Slipping his hand underneath her top, he cupped her breast and massaged it delicately. His gesture earned him a soft moan into his mouth and a firm squeeze of his rear. Their heated make-out session had quickly grown into a firestorm of passion. This woman was so amazing. She hadn't even really touched him yet and he was almost undone.

Through his drunken state of bliss, he felt her hands tug at the opening of his yellow hoodie. Her actions fueled his lust for her even more. His beautiful lover clearly wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Suddenly, his clothes felt like a heavy burden weighing between them. He couldn't take much more.

Abruptly breaking the kiss, he stood and fumbled with the zipper on his blitz uniform before succeeding in freeing himself from the constricting garment. Before long, his hoodie, boots, and armguard joined the leather outfit on the floor, leaving him standing only in his boxers. Sometime during his struggle to strip down, his blushing lover had managed to shed a few articles of clothing as well. It may not have been much, but the absence of her boots, armbands, and half-skirt was a welcome surprise in addition to the sight of her lying on the bed beckoning him with a finger.

Complying with her demands, he stalked her like a hungry fiend, crawling onto the mattress over to where she lay. This new found playfulness she had adopted was something he could get used to. He felt more alive than ever being in her presence.

Settling in a position over his lover, he traced his finger across the thin black material of her top and grinned. "I think someone's a little over dressed for this occasion."

"Hmmm," she purred, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of pink.

There was something about a girl blushing that drove him wild. He wasn't sure if it was the innocence of it all, or the shyness that turned him on, but Yuna seemed to blush all the time and it was intoxicating.

Toying briefly with the pink hem of her top, he left a tender kiss on her tummy before tugging the material up and over her head then tossing it to the floor. Her nervous expression was a sobering moment for him. A couple minutes ago he was ready to ravage her body. Through all the seductive gestures and playfulness he had almost forgotten this would be her first time. Leaning down toward her ear, he whispered in a husky voice, "You're gorgeous."

His complement was rewarded with a shy smile. Convinced it was a sure sign to continue, his lips journeyed over her shoulders to her collarbone and then down to the valley of her breasts—exploring every inch of her and the salty taste of her skin. The heat radiating off her body along with her heavy breaths suggested she was aroused enough for him to elevate his sensual tactics.

Eager to coax some erotic sounds out of his lover, he enclosed his mouth over one of her breasts and flicked his tongue over the erect peak. The loud moan she gave in reply sent a fiery sensation through his veins. Of all the late night fantasies he had of Yuna during her pilgrimage, not once had he envisioned such a sexy sound to escape her innocent lips. Fueled by lust and desire, he switched to her other breast and mimicked his previous technique, only this time, he was sure to include the one he wasn't busy feasting on by gently kneading it in his palm.

When Yuna's hands found a home in his wispy hair, he had to fight the urge to bite down on the soft mound of flesh in his mouth. This woman was working him into a wild frenzy. Afraid he may do something involuntarily to hurt her, he released her breast from his lips and focused his attention lower.

Sliding down the length of her body, he hungrily moved his mouth over her stomach and stopped near the rim of her shorts. Her soft pants were driving him wild. With a lopsided grin, he thought about what he'd do next and how she'd react. The blissful look on her face was already a sight to behold. Slowly, he slid a hand down the front of the denim material and bit his bottom lip when he felt the heat emanating from her core. Yuna didn't disappoint with her reaction, rolling her hips against his hand while moaning his name.

And that was all the confirmation he needed to continue. Without hesitation, he unbuttoned the denim fabric then slowly slid the zipper down.

"Tidus?"

He froze, unsure if her interruption was a sign of her having second thoughts. "Yeah?"

"This isn't a dream, is it?"

"I dunno. Do you have dreams like this often?"

"Mmmm."

He wasn't sure if that was a yes, or a no, but it didn't matter. If this was a dream, then he had no intention of ever waking up from it. At this point, he was fairly certain she was toying with him. "Don't worry. I intend to prove this isn't a dream."

With that promise, he tugged both her shorts and panties over her hips then down her legs before tossing them aside. This woman was just too perfect. She didn't even seem the least bit nervous. He slowly ran his hands up the firm, silky texture of her legs, relishing in the fact she was all his. It may have been selfish, but he had always hoped Yuna would be his—and his alone. And honestly, it frightened him a little. For one, he had never been a possessive type of guy, and secondly, he detested those who were. In any case, he vowed to keep himself in check no matter how difficult it proved to be.

Intent on worshiping the body of the goddess lying in front of him, he positioned himself accordingly on his stomach and left a trail of butterfly kisses up her legs, until he reached his destination at her thighs. Never before had he thirsted for woman quite like this. It usually came down to his needs and his alone, but with Yuna, all he could think about was bestowing as much pleasure on her as possible.

Gently guiding apart her thighs, he found her moist center and wasted no time in tasting the last woman he ever intended to be with. A gasp escaped her lips followed by a long moan. Her delightful response, prompted him to grip her hips in preparation for what would surely follow from what he had planned.

Up until now, Yuna hadn't been too terribly loud, but the moment he switched his technique from slow sensual glides to rapid flicks of his tongue, everything changed. His lover quickly turned into a wild squirming fiend, squealing and moaning her pleasure, far louder than he had ever expected to hear from a woman who had been so quiet and shy on her pilgrimage.

As aesthetically pleasing as it was to his ears, her erotic cries were threatening to become his undoing. The throbbing in his boxers had grown almost painful. No woman had ever made him feel like this before. He was woozy and short of breath. Desperately needing air, he pulled away from his lover only to hear her groan with disappointment.

He chuckled at her reaction, knowing he was creating a monster. If he did get to spend the rest of his life with her—however long it may be—he would gladly do this to her every night. After leaving a tender kiss on the inside of her thigh, he slid two fingers into her tight passage and watched as the frustration in her eyes melted into pure bliss. A soft moan vaguely sounding like his name rolled off her tongue. The sound of her voice was entrancing. If he didn't know better, he'd swear she had cast a spell on him from the hypnotic effect he was experiencing at the moment.

Focusing on his task, he moved his fingers inside in a rhythmic motion, careful of not being too rough at first. Her moans grew louder and more demanding, igniting a fire deep within his soul. The amount of love he had for this woman was almost unbearable. He swore he'd burst into flames at any second, knowing he was the one making her feel this way.

Returning his mouth to her core, he glided his tongue over the sensitive nerves and gradually built up to the flicking motion he had done previously. Each time her muscles tensed around his fingers, he eased the pace of his sensual ministrations, only to hasten them again in an effort to prolong her release and have it build with intensity. Yes, he certainly knew how to pleasure a woman. His past sexual experiences hadn't been the waste he had once thought, especially now, since he was using these acquired talents on someone he truly loved—and he loved Yuna more than life itself.

It wasn't long before she was murmuring his name followed by some incoherent words. The moment she released an erotic cry, he felt the warmth of her essence flow over the palm of his hand. He was certain he had sent her cascading toward ecstasy from the way she arched her back and quivered in delight, gripping the sheets.

Grinning like a kid in a candy store, he rose to sit on his legs and licked his lips, still tasting her on them. This woman was so incredibly sexy. He couldn't help but stare at her in awe as if she were a masterpiece he had just finished painting. His talented maneuvers had left her lying sprawled in a beautiful mess with her eyes glazed over and wisps of her hair clinging to her flushed cheeks.

"Still think you're dreaming?" he asked, breathless.

Yuna shook her head, "Uh ah."

"Good." He stood and removed his boxers, kicking them to the side before crawling back onto the bed over to his lover. "Because this part may not feel so dreamy the first go around." For the second time tonight, he winced at his own words. _Way to go_. _Good way to kill the mood for her._

"I don't wanna be with anyone else but you. I love you, Tidus. Not until the end, but always, remember?"

Those words served as a reminder of a promise he had made rather than one of her own. Either way, it tugged at his heart. "Not always, Yuna. Forever and beyond."

Her lips curved into a warm smile. "Forever then."

Leaning down, he captured her lips in a tender kiss and caressed the side of her face. He loved this woman more than he even realized. Just the simplest touch from her hand, or a brush from her lips sent sparks of passion throughout his body. Finally, he understood what they shared wasn't just love, but a rare chemistry one would be lucky to find in a lifetime. Everything about her thwarted his senses into overload. He couldn't get enough of her. This woman was truly his soul mate.

His recent revelation, however, hadn't eased his nervousness for what would follow. In the past, he had a few nightmarish experiences with taking a girl's innocence. He certainly didn't want Yuna's first time to fall into that category. As eager as he had been earlier, he was now a bit hesitant to follow through. The last thing he wanted was to turn Yuna off to the physical act of love between two people. He may have had sex many times before, but this was truly his first time making love to someone.

Deeping the kiss, he coaxed her thighs further apart then proceeded to join their bodies as one. Immediately upon entry, her muscles tensed around him. From the way she whimpered against his lips and dug her nails into his shoulder blades, he was almost positive she would protest going any further. Anticipating such an outcome, he halted his movements in order to present her with an opportunity to withdraw.

Instead of taking him up on his offer, her hands slid down to his rear and urged him further inside. His lover's bold actions made her intentions abundantly clear. Honoring her silent request, he carefully completed their joining and groaned against her lips. The titillating sensation from being inside her snug warmth made him feel a pang of guilt. He knew this was anything but pleasurable for Yuna right now, but he intended to turn that around.

Careful not to move until she had time to adjust, he gently parted ways with her lips and gazed into her eyes. "I love you, Yuna…so very much."

Her uncertain expression melted into a warm smile. "I love you, too…also, so very much."

He could help but chuckle at the way she mimicked his sentiment. There really wasn't another woman alive who he could ever love more. Suddenly, her expression turned serious. At first, he thought she had misinterpreted his reaction as poking fun at her, but when her legs wrapped around his hips, he knew that was not the case.

Taking her cue, he slowly rocked his hips against her and studied her facial expressions in an effort to adjust his movements accordingly. Unfortunately, that plan hadn't lasted long. His eyes slipped shut as a familiar feeling of pleasure stirred low in his body. It had been far too long since he had experienced a sexual release through any means other than his hand since arriving in Spira for the first time. All of his senses seemed to heighten with every movement of her hips—the soft caress of her fingers running down his back, her moist lips on his neck, her breasts brushing against his chest, all accompanied by the sound of her moans echoing in his ears. All the times he had done this in the past and not once could he recall ever feeling such intense pleasure build inside him like he was experiencing at that moment.

Struggling to last, he bit the inside of his cheek until the metallic taste of blood passed over his tongue. At this rate, he was certain a sword through his chest wouldn't prevent the inevitable. The room suddenly felt like it had reached a hundred degrees. Every soft moan in between his lover's heavy breaths was inching him closer to the point of no return. His breaths had already turned into pants and his pulse was pounding so fiercely, he was afraid his heart would explode at any second.

And then, by some miracle, her muscles clenched around him followed by a long erotic cry. Her release had to have been the most welcoming sound he'd ever heard, especially since he'd been teetering on the edge for what seemed like forever. Thrusting his hips furiously against her, the pleasure culminating inside his body began to erupt. His breaths came in short gasps. The room felt like it was spinning. Just when he thought he would lose consciousness, his world exploded into a blissful blur.

Collapsing beside his lover, he draped an arm over her waist and gasped for air.

"I didn't know men sounded like that during—" She paused, breathing heavily as a fierce blush spread over her cheeks. "Well, you know."

Even after making love, she still couldn't bring herself to voice the act with the proper words. Her shyness was adorable, but he intended to help her overcome it eventually. "I almost passed out. I don't remember making any sound."

Yuna giggled. "It almost sounded like a growl."

Clearly the intensity of his release had consumed him to the point where he had no control, or memory in doing such an act. "I guess you bring out the animal in me," he grinned.

And as bashful as ever, she avoided his gaze and looked down at the sheets.

"Hey, look at me," he said, lifting her chin with his finger. "What we did was beautiful. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Her face brightened. "You're right. And we'll be together, always."

Certainly that was his intent, provided he didn't fade from Spira into that darkened abyss again. Hoping to conceal his sudden shift in mood, he pulled the covers over their bodies and snuggled against the pillow. "Still think it was all a dream?"

Responding by mouthing the word no, she reached for the lamp on the nightstand and switched off the light.

The moment the room darkened, his eyes grew heavy. Sleep would consume him soon and he didn't want that to happen. He wasn't sure if he'd wake up beside Yuna or in that darkened abyss. It didn't matter. His body refused to give him a choice. His eyelids drooped. His breathing slowed. And then it came—darkness.


	2. The Truth

**Chapter 2**

When Tidus closed his eyes, he was afraid of never opening them again and if he did, he'd be back in that dark place where time and space stood still. What he didn't expect was to wake and find himself surrounded by colorful flowers and pyreflies. His blood ran cold. No. It couldn't be true. He sat up straight and scanned the area, taking mental notes of everything he saw—patches of fog, a pink sky, and an all too familiar waterfall. To his dismay, he was exactly where he feared—the Farplane.

A childlike voice came from behind, "Hello."

Every muscle in his body tensed at the sound. He knew that voice. It was the fayth—the one from Bevelle who told him he was a dream. This couldn't be happening.

Looking down, he noticed the familiar black and yellow uniform on his body. This had to be a nightmare; otherwise he'd still be naked. "Wake up, wake up," he chanted.

"You're not dreaming," said the fayth.

Tidus balled his hands into fists as a fiery rage threatened to consume his soul. It wasn't fair. How could the fayth be so cruel? He hadn't even been back a full twenty-four hours and they decided to rip him away, yet again.

Climbing to his feet, he turned to face the being which summoned him. The child-like apparition dressed in a purple cloak, silently hovered in front. "So this is it, huh? My time's up already?"

"Is that what you think?"

Tidus glowered at the fayth. "What else could it be?"

"You weren't in the Farplane before, were you?"

He couldn't help but feel like the fayth was taunting him, answering every question with a question. There was a time where he used to respect these so-called souls, but that time was now gone. Gritting his teeth, he let his anger be known. "No, I was in my own private hell thanks to you!"

The fayth remained unflinching. "We're sorry about that."

"You're sorry?" Tidus' cheeks burn with fury. If this being were a mortal creature, he would've killed it with his bare hands. "That's all you have to say? You're sorry!"

"You have every right to be angry. However, I summoned you here for a reason…to tell you the truth. Spira's future may very well depend on it."

The anger raging through his body was quickly replaced with dread. He was certain this meeting was about ending his existence, not to warn him of a new threat to Spira. "What are you talking about?"

"To prepare for the struggle ahead, you must fully understand what has been done."

He sensed whatever the fayth was about to reveal would be something far more complex than what he had initially thought. Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited impatiently for an explanation. "I'm listening."

"The universe is very unique and very unforgiving as you will come to understand. But first, what do you remember learning of Yu Yevon?"

"He was the leader of Zanarkand and a powerful summoner." Tidus paused and rubbed his chin, trying to remember the rest. "After the war with Bevelle he forced the surviving citizens to become the fayth for the sole purpose of keeping Zanarkand alive in a dream. Satisfied?"

"Let's not forget his creation of Sin and the spiral of death which lasted a thousand years."

Tidus frowned. "Where are you going with all this?"

"You were led to believe we were summoning the memories of the dead. That is not what we were summoning."

Now he was more confused than ever. Had the fayth been lying this whole time? He uncrossed his arms and let them fall to his side. "What were you summoning, then?"

"Zanarkand, of course. Just not the one from Spira."

His stomach turned icy. All this time he believed his Zanarkand was a dream. Was the fayth hinting at it actually being real? Something didn't add up. There had to be more to this. "Are you saying that I'm not a dream, after all?"

"That depends on your definition of a dream."

"Cut the crap!" Tidus snapped. "Tell me the truth already!"

"Yu Yevon wanted to summon your Zanarkand into our dimension. We willingly helped him at first, until we realized what the outcome would be. Your world would merge with ours resulting in a paradoxical shift which would ultimately destroy both realities."

His mind swirled in a haze. The life he had led before coming to Spira had been real, which meant he was real. His sense of relief was short lived as he thought about the fayth's betrayal. "Let me get this straight, you helped Yu Yevon start all this. So, you're ultimately responsible for Sin?"

"Yes, in a sense. The process had already begun. Yu Yevon used the souls of the dead as an energy source to further power what we referred to as the ultimate summon. We tried to stop him by helping other summoners. But all it did was slow his progress a decade at a time. If we didn't do something drastic soon, then Spira would be destroyed."

Upon hearing the fayth admit their crimes, his jaw tightened and his head throbbed from the anger swelling inside. "So, you used me?"

"Summoning a person or two from your reality would not destroy our realms. Your dimension is much stronger than ours. We needed someone from your Zanarkand to stop Yu Yevon. No one in Spira would've been able to end his vicious cycle. You and your father were our dream…our last hope."

A cold chill passed through his body. Part of him wanted to believe this story, but there were still many things that didn't make sense. "What about Auron? Did he know about this?"

The hooded apparition shook his head. "The dead are not bound to one world. When we sent him for you, he too, believed your world was a dreamland of our creation."

"I don't get it. If this is all true, why did I fade away after killing Yu Yevon? And where the hell was I for that matter?!"

"Our goal was to send you back to your rightful dimension. You would've had no memory of Spira or the events leading up to your departure from Zanarkand. It would've been like it never happened." The fayth lowered its head. "But something went wrong. You had spent too much time in this reality. Instead of returning home you were trapped in a dimensional rift."

"You knew this and you left me there?!" Tidus growled. "Why bother sending me back at all? I didn't want to leave!"

"You are not of this world. We had already broken the rules by bringing you and your father to Spira. Allowing you to stay would have only made things worse. But it doesn't matter now. The damage has already been done."

It was at that moment when Tidus finally realized the fayth were nothing but a lie. They were ultimately responsible for his father's death. These were not the human souls they claimed to be. All this time they were trying to reverse a disastrous ritual which they helped create in the first place. Merging two realities into one was not something any human soul could do. "Just what exactly are you?"

"We're realm keepers. And Yu Yevon was one of us."

Tidus twisted his face into a scowl. "None of you were ever human, were you?"

"No, but it was in Spira's best interest to believe we were. We're energy beings who preside over the realms of the universe. We were never supposed to reveal our true identity. But the situation has changed. We broke the laws of the cosmos by meddling with another dimension. Yu Yevon left us no choice. Zanarkand's destruction caused him to falter. And now, we may all pay the ultimate price."

"Which is what?"

"The keepers from your realm are not happy. We violated the code. They will wage war on Spira."

"What?!" Tidus cried. "What are we gonna do when that happens?"

"Help us fight them."

"Is that why you brought me back?"

"We never intended for you to get stuck where you did. But it did rather work to our advantage. You're now part of this realm. And your daughter may be the key to our survival."

What was this thing talking about? He didn't have a kid. Did he knock some girl up in Zanarkand? They must be mistaken. "I dunno what you're talking about, but I don't have a daughter."

"Not as of yet, however, she was conceived earlier tonight."

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. How did it know all this? He felt violated and used as if he were some kind of perverted experiment. "Did you plan for this?"

"Yuna saved Spira from Vegnagun. We failed at returning you home. So, we gave her the one thing she had been longing for…you. Everything else was chance."

The being's words offered him little comfort. They had been playing the role of gods for far too long. This realm was their trophy and the people were just simply there as a means to an end. He now knew these creatures could not be trusted. And underestimating them would be a huge mistake. "You can't fight the other realm keepers on your own, can you? That's why you needed help to destroy Yu Yevon."

"We're not your enemy, Tidus. And we don't claim to be perfect by any means. You humans make far more mistakes than our kind. Don't judge us by Yevon's actions. Everything we did after was to preserve this realm and all its inhabitants."

A burning sensation shot across his right arm. He yelped and gripped the spot just below his elbow. After a few moments, the pain eased and a red, crescent moon appeared on his skin. "What the—"

"It's the symbol of our realm. Let it be a reminder that our meeting was no dream. They will be here within two decades." The hooded figure flickered and began to fade.

"Wait!" Tidus cried, taking a step forward. "What happens to a world when its keepers are destroyed?"

"It becomes vulnerable."

Tidus frowned. "To what exactly?"

"Being swallowed by the realm which defeats it."

Now it all made sense. These beings really wanted his Zanarkand. They would start a war with another realm just for a chance to claim his world for their own. And they truly believed they were doing nothing wrong? "You did plan on all this. The people from that realm will cease to exist, won't they?"

"Better them than us."

Those words would haunt him forever. His stomach twisted in knots as a wave of nausea washed over him. "You're nothing but monsters."

"You wanted to be part of Spira, remember? Well, you got your wish. We will meet again, Tidus, when your daughter comes of age. She will, without a doubt, be the most powerful person in Spira."

Before he could respond, the world around him plunged into darkness.

* * *

Tidus' eyes snapped open as he shot up in bed, breathing heavily. A familiar seaside ambiance surrounded him. He was back in the room at the Luca Inn. The sun shone brightly through the windows, stinging his eyes. Just then, he felt the mattress move beside him followed by a gentle hand on his back.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked, concerned.

Unsure how to respond, he buried his face into his hands and tried to steady his breathing.

"Don't worry, you're safe," she mumbled against his shoulder. "It was just a bad dream."

Dragging his hands down his face, he prayed Yuna was right. His eyes shifted over to his right arm where he found the eerie red marking, confirming what he feared. The meeting he had in the Farplane had been real. He had conflicting emotions about the whole ordeal. Part of him was relieved to know he wasn't a dream, but the other part was horrified knowing what the future held.

"What's that on your arm?" Yuna asked, leaning over.

He pressed his lips together tightly, contemplating how to answer. "A reminder of how power corrupts absolutely."

Yuna arched a brow in response. "You're being very mysterious this morning."

"Sorry." He ran his hand down her shoulder and looked into her eyes. There would be no easy way to tell her what the realm keeper had revealed. Hell, he didn't even know if she'd believe him. Then, it dawned on him. If Spira's keepers could pull him and his father to this reality, then the keepers from his world could do the same for a few people from Spira.

"Whatcha thinking?" she asked.

"If I could take you and all our friends to my Zanarkand, would you go?"

Yuna giggled. "You're being silly."

"Maybe not," he muttered.

At that moment, he made a vow. Somehow, he would find a way to send his father's soul back to their world where he could negotiate with the keepers from his realm. The dead were boundless, after all. A new life for his family and friends in his Zanarkand, in return, they would aid in the destruction of Spira's realm keepers and put an end to their corruption.

This was where his story began—the real story—his truth beyond the dream.


	3. Empty Hope

**Chapter 3**

Seventeen years had passed since that fateful meeting in the Farplane—the night Tidus learned the truth about the fayth, what they really were, and their devious plot to claim his world for their own. Since then, he and Yuna had married and moved to Luca where they raised their daughter, Trista and her twin brother, Zak. It came as quite a shock to him at first, learning he would be a father to twins. The realm keeper had failed to mention that surprise, either finding it irrelevant, or maybe they really weren't all-knowing in which Tidus was counting on the latter.

He had joined the Luca Goers—much to Wakka's chagrin—and won the team several championships up until six years ago when he injured his shoulder in a game, forcing him to retire as a player, but only to return as their coach a year later. Yuna, however, had surprised him with her decision to pursue a career in music, assuring him Spiran politics had never been her aspiration.

Tidus was quite content with their blissful life. The rewards from their extraordinary careers had them drowning in decadence, but he knew it would all soon come to an end. The looming war was not far off. And what was worse, he had kept Yuna in the dark all these years—afraid she wouldn't go along with his plan. He had two years left. Two years to make this go _his_ way. He was running out of time.

Standing outside the Farplane gate in Guadosalam, Tidus rubbed the back of his neck and let out a long breath, trying to calm his frazzled nerves before going inside. This had become his monthly ritual shortly after the birth of his children. On the eighteenth day of every month, he would visit the Farplane in hopes his father would return with news, only to be met with nothing but eerie silence in that cold foggy abyss.

Forcing a foot forward, he stepped through the swirling portal and entered the Farplane. As he waited patiently on the stone platform for his father's ghostly figure to appear, he began to question if his initial meeting with Jecht even happened. From what he remembered, the souls in the Farplane had never opened their mouths and spoke to anyone. Communication with the dead was telepathic—at least, that was his experience. Then again, maybe he had lost part of his sanity after meeting with the realm keeper that night, allowing his mind to conjure an illusionary exchange of words between him and his father.

A cold chill passed through his body. He shivered and rubbed his arms for warmth, cursing himself for not bringing a zip-up hoodie to pull over the black muscle fit t-shirt he decided to wear with a pair of jeans. His Abes uniform had been long forgotten—lying somewhere in the back of his closet stuffed in a box. He still wore his Abes necklace and earring, however, unwilling to completely detach from his past.

Just when he was about to give up hope, an image of his father materialized in front of him wearing a smug expression. _"What? Did you think I wouldn't come through, boy?"_

Normally, Tidus would follow up with a snide comment of his own, but with him genuinely stunned to see his father's spirit after so many years, all he could do was hitch a breath as his pulse quickened with anticipation of whatever news the old man may bring.

" _How's Yuna and my grandkids?"_

"They're good. Zak and Trista are seventeen now. It's been that long, Dad."

The smug expression on Jecht's face quickly faded. _"I know. I'm sorry."_

"What have you learned?" Tidus pressed, uninterested in updating his father on the past seventeen years of his life.

" _Son, these realm keepers…I wouldn't be so quick to negotiate with any of them."_

"I don't exactly have a choice in the matter."

" _We always have a choice, Son."_

"We're talking about a world being destroyed and people ceasing to exist. I'm trying to protect my family and do what's right!"

" _Are you really?"_

Tidus clenched his teeth as he felt anger swelling inside. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why his father was acting this way. He had been all for this plan seventeen years ago. And now, it was as though his father was insinuating he had made a grave mistake. "What does that even mean? Of course, I'm protecting my family. Destroying Spira's keepers is the right thing to do. They started this war. The people in Zanarkand are innocent."

" _And the people of Spira aren't? Let that sink in a moment, Son. You've chosen a side, the lesser of two evils, I get that. What you don't understand is that no matter which side you fight for, you lose. Innocent people will still perish and that blood will be on your hands. Spira is Yuna's home. She fought for Spira twice. Does she even know about any of this?"_

Every syllable his father uttered stung and cut like a sword through his soul. He knew Jecht was right. Regardless of which realm he fought for, he would become a cold blooded monster. Sacrificing one civilization for another was no different than the realm keepers playing god—and Yuna would never forgive him. "I haven't told her yet. Is there really third option in all this? You haven't even told me how your meeting went with the keepers of Zanarkand."

" _They agreed to your plan, but there's a catch. They want your son for collateral as soon as next month."_

"What?!" Tidus suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe, his breaths growing labored as he fought the onset of a panic attack. "You can't be serious?"

" _They want the assurance you'll fight for their cause. What better way than to have your son already living in Zanarkand. If you turn on them, then you'll be ending Zak's life. Do you see now, Son? These are soulless creatures involved in a power struggle. They don't care about us, just the realms they control."_

There had only been one other time Tidus had ever felt completely defeated. It was when he was led to believe he was a dream that would fade after destroying Yu Yevon. Back then, it had been an easier fate to accept than what he currently faced. His family meant more to him than his own life. There had to be another way out of this, but he was at a loss, feeling helpless, and utterly useless. "I don't know what to do."

" _Talk to Yuna. You need to discuss this with your wife, Son. I know together you two will find another solution. I believe in you."_

With those final words of encouragement, his father's ghostly image faded into the foggy abyss, leaving Tidus to ponder his next move.


	4. Decadence

**Chapter 4**

The journey back to Luca seemed longer than usual. Tidus had envisioned a much happier return home when he had finally met with his father—unfortunately, fate wasn't so kind. After hearing how those keepers planned to take his son, he was left with a heavy heart and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach _. So much for having two years._

Stuck in heavy traffic, he leaned back on the faux leather seat of his solar-powered sports car and watched as the setting sun engulfed the city skyline in a fiery orange glow. Normally, the day's sunset would bring him comfort, but somehow, it felt like nature was mocking him, painting a beautiful chaotic scene in almost a prophetic way of what was to become of his life.

A horn blared from behind, forcing his attention back on the road as traffic began to clear. It amazed him how much Spira had changed over the years. Up until seventeen years ago, the cities in Spira had been quite modest in technology. It wasn't until Shinra teamed up with Gippal's Machine Faction on a project to advance the more populated areas that places like Bevelle and Luca received a serious face-lift.

Luca's skyline resembled that of a metropolis similar to Tidus' Zanarkand more and more as time passed. Skyscrapers in the shape of hourglasses were packed tightly together against the wide office buildings with even more of them being built each day. Holographic billboards and neon signs were on every corner, but Tidus was especially smitten by the Machine Faction's first generation of solar powered vehicles—much like the ones referred to as 'cars' from his world—leading to the development of countless roads and highways, making travel in Spira much more accommodating.

It wasn't long before he reached his oceanfront property on the other side of Luca. After pulling into the driveway, he turned off the ignition and sat gazing up at his two-story fiber cement house, fondly remembering the day he had purchased the property.

He had been so excited upon receiving the keys, he'd snubbed blitz practice to return to the tiny apartment he and Yuna had called home—eager to share the good news with his wife. She had been six months pregnant at the time and after their whirlwind wedding from three months prior, he had wanted to shower her in extravagance—and this house had been the perfect start. It was one of the first modern homes built by the Machine Faction with windows almost as large as some of the walls, offering a spectacular view of the sea.

His wife was far from materialistic, but even Yuna couldn't help being giddy and giggling like a little girl at the sight of it. Her delightful reaction and overall enthusiasm for moving in, reassured him he had made the right decision to play for the Goers—even if, Wakka constantly reminded him of how he sold out for gil.

Slumping back into his seat at the thought, Tidus caught a glimpse of his reflection in the rear-view mirror and cringed, disgusted with the image staring back at him. His lively blue eyes had lost their luster, now looking more like a dull grey. Gone were the dimples on his cheeks which had helped maintain his boyish good looks all these years and were replaced with tiny lines as if he had aged overnight. His wispy golden hair—that he so favored—looked faded as though it were a boxed hair color in need of a touch-up. Overall, he was left staring at this darker image of himself, wondering if it were just the shadows of the night playing tricks, or truly the man he had become.

"Tidus!"

Immediately upon hearing his name, his eyes darted over to the steps of his front porch where he found his beautiful wife standing with her hands on her hips—a posture which was normally reserved for one of their children in the midst of a lecture. "Shit," he cursed, scrambling out of the vehicle in such a hurry, he almost slammed his fingers into the door.

"Tidus, where have you been? You were due back hours ago."

Even with the stern look on her face, she couldn't escape the level of cuteness Tidus had fell in love with on her pilgrimage. Like a fine wine, Yuna had only improved with age. She had grown her mocha colored hair out well past her shoulders and abandoned her long braid. Where most women struggled to regain their figure after giving birth, Yuna made it seem effortless with how quickly it reverted back into the shape a goddess. And that glow a woman has during pregnancy, well, it never left her. Standing on their porch in the pale moonlight, wearing a white sundress, she looked radiant as ever. It was hard for him to believe they were both now thirty-six years of age.

"Are you gonna answer me?"

"Sorry, traffic was backed up for miles." Another half-truth—he'd become quite efficient with those.

After a dejected sigh, Yuna turned to go inside the house and murmured, "Your dinner is in the oven. I'll meet you in the dining room with it."

In all honesty, he didn't have much of an appetite—in fact, he felt like throwing up. If there was one thing his family knew about him was how he loved to eat. His high protein 'low carb' diet was practically a religious ritual he engaged in three times a day along with his morning workout sessions—a routine he never deviated from, afraid he'd lose his well-toned athletic body. If he refused dinner, they'd certainly grow suspicious.

Hurrying inside his home, he shut the door then tossed his keys onto the end table beside the sofa. The inside of their house was even more impressive than the outside. He had spared no expense on the furnishings, almost spending every last piece gil from his annual salary the Goers had generously agreed to pay him in advance. His plan to surprise Yuna with a fully furnished house had been a complete success. At first, he had been reluctant to enlist Rikku's help, but a gut feeling led him to believe she would be the right choice. And his intuition had not been misplaced. He had no idea Yuna's animated cousin was quite the interior decorator—of course, he had stressed to keep the décor 'Tidus and Yuna friendly.'

Rikku had suggested some type of Yin and Yang theme, insisting they, as a couple, reminded her of the sun and the moon. Placing his trust in the bubbly blonde, she had transformed their home into nothing short of a masterpiece. The living room reflected what Rikku believed to be Tidus and his sunny disposition with walls painted in the golden color of spun sugar, contrasting beautifully against the chocolate colored sofa set and coffee tables that were neatly arranged on the beige carpeting. Sheer white drapes framed the over-sized windows and were tied up at the sides in a theater style. Of course, to Tidus, the best part was the sixty-inch spherevision hanging on the wall above the electronic fireplace.

As he continued on his rather timid trek throughout his home, Tidus mused once more about the décor when he reached his destination at the dining area, which he believed mirrored Yuna's calm and tranquil nature. The room had a very soothing feel to it, resembling the sky at twilight with its inky blue painted walls. An elegant dining table sat in the middle of the room surrounded by six high-backed chairs, the color looking almost like the pale moonlight now shining in through the window behind.

He pulled out a chair at the head of the table and plopped down on the seat, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Before Tidus even had a chance to clear his mind, Yuna emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of food he would have to force down, no doubt, if he wanted to avoid an interrogation.

The concerned look on his wife's face as she set his dinner in front of him indicated he was doing a horrible job of concealing his sullen mood. Feeling panicked, he tried feigning appreciation for the meal by using a chipper voice to thank her, but immediately cringed after hearing how condescending it sounded instead.

If looks could kill, he would've been dead. He could almost feel the daggers shooting from her eyes, penetrating his brain. Before Yuna had a chance to respond in any other form, Zak and Trista bolted into the room, both grinning as if they had a secret to share.

Ah, yes, saved by the kids. They truly couldn't have better timing if they tried. For twins, they certainly looked nothing alike, sharing only a slightly lighter than olive skin tone and what had once been his bright blue eyes. Trista may have had her mother's facial features, but she had his mischievous grin and golden locks, which she kept long with loose curls on the ends. His son, Zak, looked more like him every day with the exception of his hair, wearing it slightly longer and it being a rich mocha color like Yuna's.

Aside from the physical appearances, his children's personalities were a healthy a mix of both him and his wife. Both were adventurous, witty, and to Tidus' dismay, often reckless—something he believed to be karma from how he had behaved in Zanarkand. Their demeanor was often reflected in their choice of attire, which recently had always been some type of black ensemble—perfectly fitting for the rebellious stage they seemed to be in lately.

"Dad!" Trista beamed, eagerly taking a seat next to him at the table. "Did Mom tell you what happened during my magic training, today?"

"Ah, no we didn't get that far," Tidus replied, daring to glance in wife's direction.

Yuna's expression had softened, but her eyes never left his as she eased herself onto the other seat next to him. "I'm sure your father would much rather hear it from you."

"You alright, Dad?" Zak asked, now leaning on the back of his sister's chair with his eyes scanning the untouched meal. "You haven't even touched your food yet."

 _Dammit._ These kids never missed a beat. Had he really become that predictable? Grabbing his fork, he stabbed whatever bits of protein were chopped up on his plate and shoveled it into his mouth. "Okay, I'm eating," he said in between bites. "Now, let's hear about this news of yours, Tris."

His daughter's eyes lit up as she prepared to tell him whatever had her so excited, bringing an amused smile to his lips. "Well, I've not only mastered all my spells, but today I cast something no one else has ever cast before."

The words she spoke with such enthusiasm had left Tidus almost paralyzed. Every hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he waited with bated breath, dreading the next sentence to leave her lips.

"I was supposed to hit one of these mock flans with an ultima spell, but instead this bright blast erupted from my palm and—"

"Totally vaporized the flan!" Zak interjected, rudely. "It then kept going to blow up part of the cliff on the other side of the island!"

"Zaaak!" Trista whined. "It was my story to tell."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. It was just so awesome to see."

Tidus halted his chewing and forced himself to swallow the remaining morsels of meat in his mouth. It already felt like he was eating his own flesh. Hearing about these turn of events made it next to impossible for him to even have another bite, let alone finish his plate.

"Anyway, Lulu thinks I cast some sort of ancient force magic, but she's not sure."

"She said she'll look into it," Zak added, finally taking a seat next to his sister. "I still think it was super cool!"

Abandoning the rest of his dinner, Tidus leaned back in his seat as his vision blurred from the throbbing ache he now had in his temples. _Super cool?_ There was nothing _cool_ about this. His daughter was exhibiting powers the realm keeper had prophesized. They planned to use her as a weapon. If her powers continued to strengthen, Spira's keepers would soon be upon them. And he had even less time before Zanarkand's keepers came to collect his son.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Tidus?"

"Daddy?"

How was he supposed to respond? No, he wasn't okay. He had worked his ass off to build this fantasy life for his family, but that's all it ever was—a fantasy, an illusion that would soon come crashing down around them and burn to a cinder. _He_ would be responsible for crushing their dreams. _He_ allowed them to believe in this inversion of reality. _He_ kept them from the truth.

Just when he thought his head would explode from what surely felt like his blood pressure peaking at an all-time high, his daughter rested a hand on his and looked up at him with one of the most doleful expressions he had ever seen upon her beautiful face. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy. I thought you'd be proud of me."

And that was when his heart finally tore in half. Emotions threatened to bubble over. He could feel the moisture pooling in his eyes. His children had never seen him cry. And they weren't about to.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he managed to muster the last of his strength and suppress his emotions long enough to stand and give his daughter the response she deserved. "Of course, I'm proud of you, sweetheart. It's not you I'm disappointed in…it's me."

With that confession, Tidus made a quick retreat down the hall then up the stairs to the bedroom he and Yuna shared. He knew his wife wouldn't be far behind. There was no way she was going to let him off without some sort explanation after what he displayed just now. Either he would have to fess up and tell her tonight, or he would have to lie through his teeth to buy another day. Neither option was a desirable choice at the moment.

Upon entering the darkened room, he shut the door behind with such force it slammed, rattling the frame. Great, now he was acting like one of his teenage kids throwing a temper tantrum. If Yuna wasn't pissed before, she definitely would be now.

He stormed over to the window on the opposite side of the room and yanked open the blue velvet curtains, allowing the moon to light the room in soft comforting glow. The sound of heavy footsteps tweaked his ear. He knew it was Yuna. She was stomping up the steps in the way she would when she was furious at one of their children. Preparing himself for the inevitable, he sat on the edge of their queen size canopy bed and stared out the window at the full moon.

The door creaked open. He didn't dare look behind. Oddly enough, he half expected to hear the door fly open and for it to slam with equal force as he had done. Then again, this was Yuna and she tended to be a bit more eloquent when the kids were around than he usually had been.

There was the soft click of the door latching followed by the slightly louder sound of the deadbolt. He really didn't expect her to lock the door. It kind of disturbed him a little, unsure of her thought process at the moment.

"Have you lost your mind?" she hissed.

Tidus gnawed on his bottom lip, uncertain how to respond. Then, the answer just seemed to spill out of his mouth. "Yeah, I think I have."

The mattress sank beside him. He kept his eyes glued on the moon, determined to avoid eye contact with his wife. She was calm—way too calm, even for her. Frankly, it was very unnerving.

"Tidus, look at me."

There was no way he could look her in the eye. He knew he would have to lie to her tonight. If they were going to have this discussion, then he didn't want the kids in the house. There was no telling how she would react.

"Your behavior…it's scaring the kids. And honestly, it's beginning to scare me, too."

Just when he thought he couldn't feel any worse, Yuna had managed to find the right words to sink him even further into despair. The dam broke as the last shred of his resolve came crumbling down, finally reducing him to tears. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to."

Yuna cradled his head against her chest then threaded her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner. "Tidus, I've never seen you like this. You look so…tormented. Where were you earlier? What are you hiding?"

"I visited the Farplane." He felt her stiffen at his words. He wasn't really surprised by her reaction, considering he had never told her where he went on the eighteenth day of every month. And frankly, he was amazed she had never questioned him on it until now.

"Why have you been going there?"

"I've been searching for an impossible solution to a catastrophic problem." For a moment, he thought his heart would cease beating. He couldn't believe he had let those words seep out from in between his lips. He had been thinking them, but he hadn't intended to give them a voice.

When he pulled back from Yuna's embrace, he expected to see her eyes laden with fear, but that was not the case. Instead, they shone with relief, suggesting she had drawn her own conclusions on the matter. "I know why you've been going there."

Clearly she didn't, or else she wouldn't have the reassuring smile on her lips. "You do?"

"Mmmhmm," she cooed, wiping the tears off his cheek. "You wanna know if you're real or still a dream."

And like almost always, he was correct with his assessment. Part of him wanted so badly to tell her the truth, but for now he opted to play along. His gut was telling him to wait until morning. "Listen, I—"

Yuna shushed him by pressing a finger to his lips. "I know you're real. Dreams can't have children. We have two beautiful children. They're a testament of our love and your existence. We have the fayth to thank for that."

If she only knew. He shut his eyes, struggling to subdue the anger now raging through his veins from the seemingly obvious adoration his wife had for those deceitful, murderous creatures. She was going to be in for quite a shock when she found out just how misplaced her representation of them had truly been.

"Tidus? You believe me, right?"

When he opened his eyes, his was met with Yuna's uncertain expression and her head tilted slightly to the side in what he had mentally labeled for years as her 'give me the answer I want to hear look'. And he would do just that. Now more convinced than ever, his wife subconsciously knew her assumption on the whole situation was false, but wasn't ready to hear the truth.

"Tidus?"

"Yes Yuna, I know I'm real." Well, that wasn't so bad. It wasn't a lie. He knew unequivocally he was real—just a hell of a lot longer than he cared to admit at the moment.

There was a long pause before the corner of her mouth curved into a half-smile, leading him to believe she was satisfied with his answer. "It's been a stressful evening. We should get some rest." And with that suggestion, she elegantly rose to her feet and padded over into the master bathroom to engage in her usual bedtime routine.

It was relatively early. Under normal circumstances, he'd find her behavior a bit odd, but the day hadn't ended on a typical note. Yuna looked worn out after their conversation. If that was her motivation for turning in early, then he could definitely resonate with it.

After Yuna emerged from the bathroom dressed for bed in a blue satin nightie, he proceeded to go about his bedtime ritual—brushing his teeth, removing his Abes necklace, then finally stripping down to his boxers before climbing under the sheets to snuggle against his wife's warm body. Tonight, however, he chose to lie on his back and stare up at the dark shadows dancing across the ceiling through the sheer fabric of the canopy as he fought to not dwell on the conversation they would have in the morning.

It seemed like he had been lying there for an hour unable to sleep when he felt Yuna shift restlessly beside him. It could have been any number of things keeping her awake, but he opted for the most obvious—the moon being too bright. "Do you want me to close the drapes?"

"No. The moonlight…it's nice."

"Not if it's keeping you awake."

"That's not what's keeping me awake," she insisted, her voice muffled from under a pillow.

Surely it had to do with the evenings events, but he wasn't about to tempt fate and ask. So he chose a different approach instead. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Maybe."

Her voice sounded somewhat playful and he swore he had just heard a giggle come from her pillow. No. There was no way. Not after what happened tonight. She couldn't be thinking along those lines. "Maybe, huh?"

There was no response. He figured as much. She probably didn't mean for her answer to sound the way it did—that or he was starting to hallucinate. Suddenly feeling tired, he shifted his weight and rolled on his side facing the window.

Just as his muscles relaxed and his eyelids grew heavy, he felt a hand latch onto his hip then tug to forcefully roll him onto his back. The sudden actions caught him off guard. A moment ago, he had been on the cusp of falling asleep. And now, his wife was above him, straddling his hips. Damn. He was dead wrong. She really did want to have a romp between the sheets with him tonight.

"You're not really tired, are you?" she asked in a seductive tone, her lips curving into a devilish grin.

Actually, he was quite tired, but he wasn't about to protest. The prospect of his wife riding him till he passed out from pleasure was a welcome distraction he so desperately needed. He'd be crazy to turn down her offer of a night filled with lustful bliss. After tomorrow, who knew when he'd have another opportunity, if ever again. He wanted her. And he wanted to feel loved tonight. "Is that why you locked the door?" he inquired with a loopy grin.

"You got me. I've been pretty worked up all day." Yuna leaned down, her moist lips inches away from his. "And after earlier…well, I think we both have a lot of frustration we need to let out."

Some of the best sex he had ever experienced with his wife was out of anger or frustration. She had become quite a tigress in bed. And lately, she had an increased sexual appetite. He wasn't complaining—it was quite the opposite. He could already feel his arousal pulsating with excitement. This was going to be one hot session.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he entangled his hand into her silky hair and pulled her down to his lips for a heated kiss. Her tongue plunged inside his mouth, wrestling with his in what almost seemed like a struggle for dominance. It wasn't often when Yuna took control in bed, but when she did; it almost always resulted in a mind blowing sexual experience. This was exactly the kind of distraction he needed tonight.

The searing heat from her kiss traveled down his body and through his veins until every inch of him felt as if it were on fire. Her hips grinded against his growing arousal, each movement carefully timed to the fervid massaging of her lips.

Drunk with desire, Tidus' hands seemed to act on their own accord, roaming down her back, over her hips then down to her rear. Every moan escaping her lips was captured into his mouth as he relished in the erotic exchange of sexual energy.

Finally breaking the kiss, Yuna sat up straight, still straddling his hips and gasped for air. The moonlight showcased her flushed cheeks and the lust in her eyes. She looked like a goddess—one that was hungry for sexual gratification.

He hissed when she squirmed on his lap, feeling the heat and moisture from her core rubbing against his pelvis. One could argue, her teasing was nothing short of torture, but at this point he didn't care. He was going to enjoy every second of it.

After her brief pause for breath, she bent down and planted a trail of scorching hot open-mouthed kisses down his neck, past his collarbone, then all over his chest. Her lips felt so damn good. His body heat rose to what felt like dangerous levels. He swore he'd spontaneously combust at any second.

Eager to feel her bare skin against his body, he grabbed the hem of her satin nightie and impatiently tugged it up her torso, until she stopped her ministrations to help him lift the garment up and over her head.

Pulling his wife down to him once more, he leaned up and took one of her breasts into his mouth, feasting on the erect peak and even going as far as to gently nip at it. Her soft moans were addicting. He wanted to hear her scream and squeal his name, but he knew that wasn't going to happen with the kids in the house.

Being parents at a young age made having a healthy sex life a real challenge for the first few years, especially with twins. Learning to be quiet lovers had probably been the easiest lesson they had to learn—locking the door during a thunderstorm being the harshest.

Before he could switch to her other breast, Yuna pushed him back onto the mattress then slid down the length of his body, stopping at the waistband of his boxers. She left a tender kiss on his abdomen before tugging the black material off his hips then down his legs. He smacked his lips with anticipation as she settled in a spot between his thighs. This woman was so incredibly sexy. He wanted her so bad. The teasing she was inflicting upon him was almost maddening.

It was as though Yuna had heard his thoughts from the way her lips curved into a sly smile. No longer keeping him in suspense, she curled a hand around his arousal and slowly took him inch by inch into her mouth.

His eyes slipped shut as he stifled a groan. This was one of Tidus' favorite things to watch her do, finding it extremely erotic. When they first made love, she had never really explored his body—her lack of experience clearly evident—not that it mattered, he loved Yuna and that's what made their first encounter incredible. It became rather obvious after, he would have to lovingly urge her to try new things. Thankfully, Yuna was a fast learner and eager to pleasure him in different ways.

Far from the shy lover his wife initially had been, she didn't hesitate in her sensual maneuvers, squeezing his shaft as she moved her mouth up and down the length of him, sucking hard. The familiar feeling of pleasure stirred low in his body. His pulse quickened and his breaths grew labored. She was so damn good at this. It was becoming very difficult to stop her each time—and sometimes, he failed to do so.

The pleasure quickly intensified, surging throughout his body at a rapid rate. He tried to find his voice to protest her from completing her task, but was only successful in moaning her name. Her mouth felt way too good. He didn't want the night to end just yet.

Struggling to focus, he gasped then managed to choke out in a hoarse whisper, "S-Stop, stop, stop!"

Her immediate halt of action suggested she had heard his desperate plea. Glancing over in his wife's direction, he found her sitting on the back of her legs wearing a triumphant grin as a giggle escaped her lips. He couldn't help but chuckle through heavy breaths. Damn he loved this woman. Only _his_ Yuna could look so sexy and cute at the same time. "C'mere trouble," he said, beckoning her with a finger.

"Me? Trouble?" she quipped, crawling up his body with her bottom lip pushed forward in an innocent pout.

"You know you are." The moment she was in reach, he grabbed her by the waist and rolled her beneath him. "Now you're gonna pay."

Her lips curved into a sexy smile. "Promise?"

"Oh, I promise." And he definitely intended to follow through on it.

Being with Yuna all these years certainly had its advantages in bed. He had become very familiar with her body—in fact, he was confident he had mastered it. In case she had forgotten, he was going to make it well known once more.

Gazing into her eyes laden with desire, he slid his hand down the front of her black lace panties and grinned when he felt how incredibly moist they were. He leaned down so his lips were close to her ear then whispered, "I'm gonna make you scream tonight."

After feeling her shudder at his words, he focused on his task, leaving hungry kisses in a line from her neck down to her breasts then over her tummy. Her skin was flush and he could already hear her hitch a breath at his touch. He smiled. Teasing her had always been so much fun.

He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties and carefully slid them off her hips then down her legs. A soft moan escaped her lips. Tidus grinned. If she was already making noises, she didn't have a prayer of keeping quiet through what he had planned.

Guiding apart her thighs, he settled into a rather comfortable position and gently glided his fingers over the sensitive nerves at her core. She reacted to his touch beautifully with a quivering sigh. It was funny, until Yuna, he never bothered taking this kind of time to pleasure another. He truly loved her more than she even realized.

After several more minutes of slow teasing, he slipped two fingers into her moist passage and went directly for the spongy spot inside that made her gush. Yuna groaned and squirmed. Confident he found what he was looking for; he moved his fingers inside in a 'come-hither' motion before gliding his tongue over her bundle of nerves.

His technique was rewarded with what sounded like a strangled cry followed by a long moan—far louder than she probably meant to do. The erotic sounds she tried to stifle only fueled his desire to hear even more. With that in mind, he intensified his actions, moving his tongue faster and applying more pressure with his fingers on that sensitive spot.

No doubt she was close. He had to use his free hand to tightly grip the right side of her hip in order to steady her constant squirming. And if that wasn't any indication, the soft moaning in between her labored breaths was a dead give-a-way. In a couple more fluid motions, her back arched and her body quivered. He watched gleefully as Yuna grabbed his pillow and strategically pulled it over her face before letting out what surely would have been one hell of an erotic wail had it not been drowned out.

The sound of Yuna's muffed cry coupled with her essence flowing over the palm of his hand almost triggered his own release. Grinning from reducing his wife into a beautiful quivering mess, he resurfaced over her and pried the pillow out from her hands. His lovely Yuna looked spent, but the content smile on her lips confirmed he had accomplished his goal. "I warned ya, I'd make you scream."

Yuna giggled softly. "That was…wow."

He found the simple three letter word used to describe his performance quite gratifying. And considering the dreamy way she voiced it, proved his wife still couldn't think straight from the intensity of her release. "Wow, huh?"

From the mischievous gleam in her eye and the way she was biting her lower lip, he anticipated her hands would be on his waist in a matter of moments to roll him over. And as expected, she did just that, straddling his hips as she lowered herself onto his throbbing arousal.

A groan escaped his lips. He gripped her hips as she moved against him in a slow rhythmic motion. There was nothing more alluring to him than making love to her in this position—he had a spectacular view of her face and body—but tonight, it wasn't enough. He needed the closeness more than the lust, craving nothing more than to cradle her against him as they made love.

Gripping her hips even tighter, he shifted slightly then rose into a sitting position, adjusting her accordingly on his lap—careful not to break their intimate contact. As he had hoped, Yuna didn't protest the abrupt change, but embraced it by slowly rocking her hips against him while leaving impassioned kisses and gentle nips on his neck.

The erotic sensation of being inside her snug warmth along with her moist lips on his skin had him close to reaching his pinnacle. She felt incredible in his arms as their bodies melded together in a synchronized harmony. This was what he had wanted—to feel her all around him. He felt safe and loved.

Slow sensual movements quickly turned into frenzied thrusts. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, desperately clinging to her as his heavy breaths quickened into pants. Every one of her labored breaths and soft moans shot sparks of pleasure throughout his body. He wished they could stay like this forever. He didn't want this to end.

The gentle hands gripping his shoulders traveled up into his disheveled hair then tugged on the strands, forcing him to face her. Never had he seen such a blissful expression on Yuna's face. She looked like she was teetering on the edge of ecstasy—and he wanted so badly to leap off with her.

"T-Tidus, I love you…always…forever."

And that was all it took. It wasn't just her words or the breathless nature of how they left her lips that churned the ripples of pleasure into monstrous waves; it was the honest and pure look of love in her eyes. He crashed his lips against hers, stifling their erotic cries as they both rode out the intensity of their release in each other's embrace.

Once the surging tides of pleasure eased, he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers as they both gasped for air. "I don't deserve you," he said in a breathless whisper.

A playful smile spread across Yuna's lips. "Well, I say you do. And what I say goes."

"Is that so?" he grinned.

"Mmmhmm," she hummed, resting her head on his shoulder. "And I say, we should get some sleep now."

From the way her body relaxed in his arms following a yawn, he knew she was on the verge of passing out. And honestly, he was fighting to keep his eyes open as well. He grabbed the covers and eased back onto the mattress, carefully pulling her down with him.

After a few moments, he gently rolled Yuna onto her side and snuggled against her as his mind drifted back to the task he faced in the morning. Would she still love him after? He wasn't so confident she would. And that terrified him. "I'll always love you, Yuna," he whispered. "I hope you'll forgive me someday."


	5. Façade of Reality

**Chapter 5**

Morning arrived far sooner than Tidus would have preferred. The bright rays from the summer sun coupled with the melodic chirping of the birds bought him little joy, especially when today may mark the end of his marriage once he divulges the truth to Yuna. Seeing as the spot next to him on the mattress was now empty and no sounds were emitting from the bathroom, it was safe for him to assume his wife had been up for some time.

Rolling out of bed, he dragged himself into the shower and went about his daily hygienic routine before changing into a comfy pair of shorts and t-shirt. With him having slept in as late as he had, he was certain his children had already left for school, leaving him and Yuna alone to discuss the damning secret he had kept all these years.

When he entered the hallway, he was hit with the rich aroma of coffee. Even the delectable scent of his favorite morning beverage couldn't perk him up. It wasn't like him to be so depressed. This feeling of hopelessness was something he had never experienced before. He hated it. And worst of all, he had no one to blame but himself.

The journey down the stairs and into the living room where Yuna sat on the sofa sipping a mug of coffee seemed to play out in slow motion. He knew this moment would come. And as much as he wanted to delay it, he couldn't anymore, not in the wake of what he had learned the other day.

Yuna was engaged in reading the Luca Oracle—a local tabloid he despised for having more falsehoods than the teachings of Yevon. She must've sensed his eyes on her with how quickly she tossed it aside. "I was wondering when you were gonna get up," she smirked. "There's coffee in the kitchen if you wanna—"

"We need to talk."

The worried look in her eyes almost made him recant. "Tidus, we talked last night, remember?"

"No…we didn't." He sat next to her on the couch and looked her in the eye, struggling to maintain the courage he had found only moments before to initiate the conversation. "I know you wanna believe what you assumed to be true last night, but we both know it's not accurate. I've been keeping something from you for a very long time. And I have to tell you now…before it's too late."

It amazed him really, how most people yearned to know the truth, yet when dosed with an undesirable reality—regardless of the facts—they would almost always rather believe in the lie. And his wife was no different, reacting exactly how he thought she would at his initial confession.

"This is ridiculous! The fayth wouldn't betray us!" Yuna stood and began pacing in front of the coffee table. "No. This vision you had must've been some kind of side effect from the fayth bringing you back. What proof do you have?"

"The marking on my arm. How I wasn't surprised to learn you were pregnant. That I am real and how we were able to conceive twins. Or how about our daughter's new unexplained powers?"

"It was just one spell!"

Clearly his wife was having a hard time facing facts. She had stopped pacing and was now hugging her arms as if a cold chill had swept through the room. "I know this is far worse than accepting all of Yevon being a lie. Think back to the morning after I returned. Remember asking me about the mark on my arm and the conversation that followed?"

"You said the mark may have had something to do with you being reconstructed by the fayth."

"Before that, Yuna. I asked if you'd go to Zanarkand with me if there was a way. Why would I ask that?"

"You were rambling because of the stupid dream you had!"

His stomach twisted in knots. She wasn't making this easy. He hated dragging her through this. Judging from the fear in her eyes and how flush her cheeks were, it was only going to get worse. "I lied. I lied to you about what really happened. I was gonna tell you the truth, but I lied instead. I didn't think you'd go along with my plan."

Yuna's icy stare sent chills up his spine. "What plan?"

The dreaded moment was upon him. He had come this far, he couldn't turn back now. With every word he spoke it was as if he were throwing daggers at the woman he loved more than his own life. Her face twisted into an agonizing scowl as tears fell down her cheeks. It was at that moment when he realized she had finally accepted his confession as truth. And it looked like it was tearing her soul in half. There was no way she'd forgive him. He was certain of it.

"No…NO! This can't be happening! How could you?" she sobbed. "I fought for Spira! This is my home! What about all our friends? Are they expendable too?!"

"I bargained for their lives. I knew you definitely wouldn't go along with this if they weren't part of the deal."

"When did you lose your humanity," she hissed, "was it when you sold your soul?"

Yuna's words along with the disgusted look on her face cut deep into his heart. There had only been one other person he had seen her look at with such disdain and it was someone he had equally despised—Seymour. "I thought siding with Zanarkand's keepers was the right thing to do at the time. I know now, I was wrong."

"Why," Yuna scoffed through tears, "because of my reaction?"

"No, that's not why." He paused, hesitant to reveal what prompted the urgency of their conversation in the first place, afraid it would surely kill whatever love she still had for him. "They want our son. They're gonna take him next month unless we find another solution to all this."

And that was when Yuna reacted in a way he had never witnessed before. He scrambled to his feet when she grabbed the vase off the end table, ducking to the side just in time as the ceramic container whizzed by his head and smashed into the wall behind.

"You bastard! They can't have him!"

In all the years he had known his wife, he had never seen her become so unglued. She had always managed to keep a calm and cool exterior in the midst of any conflict, but right now with her hands shaking, brows furrowed, and fierceness in her eyes the likes he had never seen in his life, she looked unhinged—and it shook him to the core.

"I won't let that happen. But I need your help. I don't know how to fix this on my own." He drew in a shaky breath and inched toward her, hoping she would at least listen to his plea. "I-I'm so sorry, for lying and for all of this. Please, we need to work together or we're all gonna die."

Somehow, he wasn't surprised by her response as she shied away. "I need time to think. I'm sorry, but I can't be around you right now." And with a slam of the door, she was gone.


	6. Deep Water Horizon

**Chapter 6**

The altercation Tidus had with his wife that morning impaired his judgement for the remainder of the day, turning Blitz practice into a complete disaster. He struggled to focus on the plays he'd crafted for the team and lost his temper several times when they weren't executed in the way he had envisioned—unable to offer a solution as to why they were failing. His erratic behavior hadn't gone unnoticed by his team with them growing frustrated to the point of walking out and some even threatening to quit if he continued along these lines in the future. Unfortunately, there may not be a future if he didn't figure something out soon, which led him to contemplate resigning from his position.

Seeking some much needed solace, he exited the stadium and wandered out back onto an abandoned pier he frequented when he sought to reflect on things, only this time he wasn't alone. The wooden dock veiled in shade from the stadium was occupied by a familiar blond haired girl wearing denim shorts and a black tank-top.

Upon recognizing his own daughter, he joined her at the edge of the pier, curious as to why she was there after class, instead of the café she'd normally be visiting with her friends at this hour. "I thought I was the only one who came here."

Trista greeted him with a warm smile as a gentle breeze ruffled through her golden hair. "I guess I'm drawn to the sea just as much as you."

There was something very special about a bond between a father and his daughter. Tidus realized this early on. As much as he loved his son—and he did with every fiber of his being—he didn't feel this overwhelming urge to protect him quite the same way as his daughter. It was as though she were a fragile porcelain doll he had to keep safe from everyone and everything. From her first word being 'daddy' to the countless times she relied on him to fix a problem or a scuffed knee, he knew no matter how much time passed, he would always see her as his little girl.

"I know what's been bothering you."

He offered her a weak smile before turning his attention to the glistening waters of the sea, hoping she hadn't sensed his sudden discomfort. "I doubt that very much, sweetheart."

"You're worried about my new powers, aren't you? It's why you freaked out at dinner, right?"

Ashamed of his behavior from the previous night, he avoided her eyes and kept his gaze steady on the horizon. "I'm concerned, yes."

"If I show you something, will you promise not to flip out?"

Whenever one of his children posed such a question it usually meant trouble. He wasn't sure if he would be able to honor her request, but she had piqued his curiosity and he sensed whatever she wanted to share would be of great significance. "Alright, I promise."

Trista grinned in reply and motioned with a hand out to the sea. "Now…watch."

The calm waters began to churn, sloshing around and sending ripples out to as far as the dock where they stood.

Tidus held his breath with anticipation, but mostly out of shock at what he was witnessing. Could his daughter control the sea? No one had that kind of power. Anxiety set in as the ripples slowly grew into tiny waves, prompting him to grab his daughter's arm. "Enough, Tris!"

"You promised you wouldn't freak out!" she cried, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

Before he even had a chance to defend his actions, an old familiar voice interrupted from behind, "Ah yes, the Lord of the Whorl."

The voice was very distinct. It could only belong to one old fossil he hadn't seen in what felt like ages—and quite honestly, thought was long dead. "Maechen?"

Sure enough, the elderly scholar slowly approached him and his daughter on the dock, using a crooked ashen staff as a cane. The old man looked the same as he did when Tidus first met him on Yuna's pilgrimage, which led him to believe the ancient scholar may be an unsent. "How the hell are you still alive?"

"That is irrelevant. Do you wanna know more about the Lord of the Whorl?"

"I do," Trista said, eagerly. "What is it?"

The elderly man looked surprised, his eyes slightly widening at her question. "You don't know what it is your summoning, my dear?"

"Summoning?" Tidus' blood chilled. His daughter wasn't a summoner. No one practiced summoning anymore. One of Spira's keepers would have had to embody her with its powers. His stomach twisted with dread. This couldn't be happening.

"Don't you need to pray to the fayth or something to be able to summon?" Trista asked.

Maechen slowly shook his head. "No, my dear, this is not a typical summon. Leviathan is an ancient primal. Only an elite few have been successful at summoning its power throughout the realms. You, my dear, are beckoning it without the use of aether or any other means by just simply using your will."

"But I didn't even know I was summoning anything. How could I beckon this thing if I didn't know it existed until now?"

"The answer lies in your lineage. Yours and your father's."

Not only was Tidus confused by Maechen's claim, but terrified where it would lead. The old man may have been a walking encyclopedia on all things Spria, but not once had he ever hinted at the knowledge of other realms, let alone, presuming to know _his_ bloodline as though it were some sort of significance. Something was definitely amiss. "Are you really Maechen?"

A crooked grin etched across the elderly man's wrinkly face. "I am indeed the Maechen you remember. However, I am known as Thaliak throughout the universe."

The ancient scholar raised his ashen staff high above his head as a rumbling sound came from behind. Before Tidus had a chance to react, a blast of water crashed onto the pier and swept him off the dock into the murky waters below.

Recovering from the initial shock of being knocked into the sea, he quickly searched the depths where he landed with only one thing on his mind—his daughter. With no sign of her in any direction, he swam upward and broke to the surface with a gasp and his heart racing at what felt like a mile a minute. "Tris!" he hollered.

"Over here!"

His sense of panic eased when he spotted his daughter treading water underneath the dock with the ancient scholar nowhere to be seen. Eager to confirm she was unharmed, he swam over and searched her eyes for an honest answer. "Are you, alright?"

Trista nodded in reply, her eyebrows knitting together with worry. "Something bad is happening, isn't it?"

As much as he wanted to assure her otherwise, he could no longer deny her some semblance of truth. "Yes."

"I'm so sorry, Daddy." Her arms sprang from the water and wrapped around his neck in a tight embrace. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he insisted, curling a protective arm around her waist. "None of this is your fault."

"What about the summon? The old man said—"

"I dunno about all that, but I do know you're not responsible for...look, let's get outta the water first. There's some things you need to know." And he wasn't looking forward to revealing any of it to his daughter—afraid she may have a similar reaction to Yuna's.

"I'm scared."

So was he. The last thing he wanted was his family to become fragmented due to his misguided motives. It would only be counterproductive and ultimately result in all of their deaths along with a whole civilization.


	7. Mirage of Verity

**Chapter 7**

The rose colored sky faded into an inky black with dark billowing clouds obstructing the soft glow of the moon. Tidus sat on the steps of his front porch, listening to the soothing symphony of crickets as he reflected on the conversation he had with both his children in Yuna's absence.

He had managed to convince his daughter to wait until they had arrived home, so he could include her brother in the bombshell of information he had been withholding from them their entire lives. Surprisingly, the conversation went better than he had anticipated. At first, they were understandably upset with his confession, but had handled the news maturely and allowed him to explain his rather skewed motives. Instead of reacting in the hostile manner he had envisioned, they had stunned him by showing compassion and understanding to which he truly felt he didn't deserve.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open then shutting softly a moment later. Craning his neck to look behind, he was met with his son's forced smile as he walked over and sat next to him on the steps.

"Waiting for Mom?"

"That's if she comes home," Tidus replied with a heavy sigh.

"It went that bad, huh?"

"Worse," he said, remembering the fury in his wife's eyes. "I'm actually surprised you and your sister don't hate me, especially you."

"C'mon Dad, it's not like you agreed for them to come and take me."

The nonchalant tone of his son's voice disturbed him a little. Did he not understand the severity of the situation? Maybe that was the problem, reality hadn't sunk in yet. "You're awfully calm about all this."

Zak shrugged then slouched forward, lacing his hands together as they rested between his knees. "I just have this feeling. It's kind of hard to explain. I know you'll think of something. I have faith in you."

If only he could share in his son's sentiment. "Your confidence in me is astounding."

"You doubt yourself?" His son's blue eyes bore into his in a scrutinizing manner as if he were the parent lecturing a child.

Slightly uncomfortable with the situation, Tidus adjusted himself on the steps, now sitting hunched forward with his hands tightly clasped between his knees. "I swear on my life, I won't let anything happen to you, your sister, or your mother."

"Dad, you're not in this alone."

Yes, he was. At least, it sure felt like it at moment. "It's my job to protect you."

"Tris and I are the same age you and Mom were when you fought Sin and Yu Yevon."

"This isn't the same!" Tidus cringed immediately upon hearing the hostility in his voice. He didn't mean to lose his temper. He was just so damn frustrated with the whole situation. "Look, I'm sorry for—"

"I get it, you're stubborn, but so are we. Tris and I are involved in this. So, don't think for one second we're gonna sit idle and do nothing, because you're wrong."

At that moment, a pair of bright lights shone in his eyes, practically blinding him. The soft hum of an engine settled a few feet away, announcing his wife's return home. "You better get inside, Son."

Zak rose to his feet and laid a comforting hand on his father's shoulder. "Mom will come around. And for the record, Tris and I would've done the same thing. That's why we're not pissed at you, in case you were wondering."

Now that he wasn't expecting. It made perfect sense, no less, judging from their earlier reactions. However, it didn't put his mind at ease. If anything, his son's confession troubled him.

The car door slammed, snapping him out of his paranoid thoughts. He watched as Yuna tentatively walked around the front of her vehicle and leaned against the side of the hood with her arms folded over her chest.

"I gather you've had time to think. Maybe even, cool down?"

Her expression seemed strained, making it difficult for Tidus to decipher. He didn't expect her to forgive him, right away. Hell, he wasn't sure if she still loved him anymore.

"The only documented case of someone using force magic was over two thousand years ago. It was rumored then only ancient deities harbored such power. By that I'm assuming they're referencing these realm keepers."

The fact that she had done some research with her time instead of just fuming over his betrayal gave him a renewed sense of hope. "You went to see Lulu, then?"

"No. I met with Baralai in Bevelle."

When he heard the praetor's name leave her lips, a fiery rage culminated inside him, threatening to erupt. He stood and clenched his fists, desperately trying to control his fury. Tidus never really 'hit it off' with the Yevon sympathizer, but after learning the reason behind his short lived engagement to Paine was due to a secret obsession he had with Yuna, he downright hated the arrogant prick. The lewd comments he'd said about his wife hadn't helped his cause either, resulting in Tidus' fist connecting with the praetor's jaw on more than one occasion. He was definitely not pleased Yuna had chosen to meet with such scum.

"Why him," he seethed, "Lulu was the one looking into this in the first place. Is this some kind of revenge tactic?"

Yuna glowered at him. "Oh, grow up, Tidus. Where do you think she'd get the information from? He's the one who has access to those kinds of records, not Lulu!"

"Just what exactly did you have to do to get this information?"

The suggestive nature behind his question clearly enraged his wife, her glower twisting into an angry scowl. At this point, he didn't care with an increase of testosterone and jealousy now pumping through his veins.

"I'm not the one who betrayed someone in this marriage! If you seriously believe I'd do something like that for information, or to get back at you, then you don't know me at all!"

Just as he was about to continue lashing out in a fit of rage, his daughter burst through the door and hollered, "Stop!"

He flinched, startled by the sudden outburst. Had she been eavesdropping? Thankfully, she interrupted when she had. He was certain he would've made an even bigger ass of himself had she waited a moment longer, now realizing how childish he had been acting.

"Get back inside, Tris! This is between me and your father."

"No!" she persisted. "Spira could burn to the ground and you guys are out here fighting over petty stuff? We have four weeks before Zanarkand's keepers come for Zak!"

Yuna shot him an intense glare. "You told them?"

"I had to, especially after what happened at the docks."

Her angry expression quickly faded into one of concern. "What happened at the docks?"

"I was showing Dad something I could do with the water. Then this old man came and he knew like everything. How I'm summoning a Leviathan and something about our lineage. Then this big wave hit us and—"

"Wait—what? Slow down," Yuna urged, inching toward the steps. "What old man?"

"It was Maechen," Tidus replied, studying his wife carefully as her eyes slightly widened at the name. "Only now he refers to himself as Thaliak."

Yuna frowned. "I haven't seen Maechen since I was searching for you with the Gullwings. I assume he'd be an unsent, but his timing and this new name...do you think he's one of them?"

"What? A realm keeper?" Tidus shook his head. "No, but my gut tells me, he's not human."

"And what's this about a summoning?"

"He referred to it as an ancient primal. And that Tris is summoning it through sheer will."

Yuna pressed her lips together tightly in the way she normally would when she was deep in thought. "We need to find Maechen and make him talk. He's involved in this somehow. I'm sure of it."


	8. Profound Scars

**Chapter 8**

Locating Maechen proved to be a daunting task, since almost everyone thought he had died sometime in the past two decades. Yuna, however, had been able to generate a favorable response from yet another shady character Tidus had grown to despise, Rin, Spira's richest entrepreneur who regularly engaged in black market dealings.

The shifty Al Bhed claimed in a comsphere conversation to know the latest whereabouts of the elderly scholar and had agreed to meet with them first thing in the morning at his office downtown. Which is where Tidus was now, impatiently standing beside his wife in a bright spacious lobby as he waited for the receptionist to return to her over-sized white desk.

Stealing a glance at his wife, he thought about the previous night and his disappointment in their inability to resolve the tension between them, making way for an uncomfortable dinner session with their kids. The only thing him and Yuna had been able to agree on was for their children to continue with their studies until they learned more information—and that hadn't resonated well with their son and daughter.

When Yuna had chosen to sleep in their bed for the night, he'd been genuinely surprised by her decision. He'd expected for her to retire to the guest room, but after giving it some thought, she'd probably been keeping up appearances for their children's sake in an effort to provide a false sense of unity. And again, he'd been correct with his assumption as she lay with her back toward him, refusing to engage in any conversation he'd tried to initiate.

The lack of communication between them had made the ride over to Rin's office almost unbearable with tension so thick it could've been chopped with a sword. Yuna had attempted to break the ice at one point to share in her reservations about the impending meeting, leaving Tidus feeling like they were a pair of strangers forced to work together on an investigation, rather than a couple struggling to protect the world from certain doom—which had really irked him.

"Sorry about that," the blond receptionist apologized, dumping a stack of folders on her desk. "Rin's a little tied up at the moment. You can wait for him inside his office in the meantime. It's right this way."

The young Al Bhed woman guided them into a large, dimly lit room, lined with racy portraits of women in lingerie. Tidus scoffed in surprise by Rin's unprofessional choice of décor. "Wow, I feel like we're here auditioning for a porno, not to get information."

"Tidus!" Yuna snapped.

"Have a seat," the receptionist insisted, motioning over to the two leather armchairs situated in front of a mahogany desk. "Rin will be with you shortly."

When the young woman took her leave, Tidus eased himself onto one of the leather seats and glanced over at his wife, who was intertwining her hands repeatedly on her lap while staring blankly at the desk. The tension between them was suffocating. He couldn't take it anymore. "We can't function like this, Yuna. We need to be able to communicate with one another."

His wife let out an exasperated sigh. "Can we not do this here?"

"Then where? Because you've refused to talk to me otherwise."

"We need to focus on finding Maechen, right now. Nothing else matters."

Her words sounded so cold. Deep down he was a sensitive man. He may have succeeded in concealing his emotions from his children and most of the world, but not his wife. Yuna knew all too well how to exploit his feelings. And right now, he felt like a teenage boy, pining away at girl he so desperately wanted to reciprocate his love, but was afraid of rejection. _Damn it._ He hated how she had this kind of power over him. Nevertheless, he needed to know how she felt and if he should start burying his love for her in a grave he may have dug upon his return to Spira.

"Just answer me this. Do you still love me?"

The stunned look on her face signified he had caught her off guard with his question. He searched her eyes, desperately looking for an answer within them, only to be disappointed by the uncertainty reflecting in her mismatched depths. It felt like someone had shot him in the gut. Her eyes never lied. It was painfully clear, she was pushing him away.

Just when his emotions threatened to surface, Rin entered the room and swaggered over to the desk wearing a smug grin. "Lady Yuna," he said with a bow. "Sir Tidus, always a pleasure." The sly Al Bhed sat down in an over-sized leather chair behind the desk and folded his hands neatly in front. "I understand you're looking for information on Maechen's whereabouts?"

"That's correct." Yuna cleared her throat, undoubtedly from the tension gripping the room moments before. "What can you tell us?"

"Maechen approached me fifteen years ago, expressing an interest in acquiring a secluded piece of property I owned. I had no use for the place, so I intended to sell it to him at cost. But then, he presented me with a proposal I couldn't refuse. Offering to pay triple the price it was worth as long as I kept my silence on his location."

Tidus could already sense where this was headed and he wasn't the least bit surprised by it either. "Let me guess, you're willing to break that silence for the right price?"

"But of course," Rin grinned. "What kind of businessman would I be if I gave you something for nothing?"

It was evident from the way his wife was digging her nails into the leather material, she was not impressed with the Al Bhed's unethical way of doing business. What did she expect? He was a well-known, self-serving, slime bag only interested in furthering his own agenda. After all, she was the one who told him how Rin blamed Rikku for the malfunctioning machina on the Mi'han highroad to cover his tracks when she was with the Gullwings.

"I'd forgotten how easily you'd betray someone for gil," Yuna said, bitterly.

"It's just business, Lady Yuna. Everything has a price."

"So, name yours," Tidus urged, growing impatient with blond Al Bhed.

Rin leaned back in his seat and rubbed his chin, surely thinking about how much gil he could extort out of them. "No one has ever sought out Maechen. Whatever he has you must desperately need. Which makes this a rare commodity. One million gil."

"What!?" Tidus cried. Even he hadn't expected such a steep price from this creep. "That's insane! There's no way we're paying that!"

"It's not like you can't afford it. You and Lady Yuna are certainly not hurting for gil."

"That's not the point!" Yuna snapped. "If you knew what was at stake, you'd personally take us there free of charge."

"Yuna!" Tidus warned.

"Enlighten me, my lady. What exactly is at stake?"

"Nothing," Yuna muttered. "I just think your price is a little high for two people who saved Spira in the past. If it wasn't for me destroying Vegnagun, you along with the rest of Spira would be in the Farplane, not sitting here living a life of luxury."

A sly smile spread across Rin's lips. "And yet, here we are. Isn't it, fabulous?" His expression turned serious as he sat up straight in his seat. "I'm a reasonable guy. If you don't want to part with gil, maybe we can agree on another form of payment, hmmm," he purred, ogling Yuna.

This creep had some nerve. Either he had a death wish or he had more arrogance than common sense. Gritting his teeth, Tidus let his anger be known. "You even think of touching my wife, I'll mount your head next to one of those photos on the wall."

"Gil it is then!" Rin opened a drawer on the side of his desk and pulled out a blue orb known as a banking sphere then handed it to Tidus. "As soon as the funds are transferred into my account we can continue doing business."

With a dejected sigh, Tidus punched in the information then set the sphere on the desk. "There. Satisfied?"

Rin grabbed the sphere, studying it carefully as a triumphant grin etched across his face. "Yes, thank you. Let's begin, shall we? The property I sold Maechen is located on the outskirts of Bevelle in an area dense with trees, right around where the Macalania woods used to be. Take the road to the east. You will see a path on the left, leading to a small forested area. The house is in back there. You shouldn't miss it. Now, kindly show yourselves out. I have another appointment waiting in the lobby."

If the circumstances weren't so dire, Tidus would've rammed the Al Bhed's head through the wall. He hated how they had resorted to dealing with such sleaze. Following his wife over to the door, he paused and glared at Rin as he sat smugly in his chair. "You better hope that house exists."

"Or else, what?"

"Your life depends on it. You just don't know it yet." He then stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind.


	9. Ocean Soul

**Chapter 9**

The bright afternoon sun warmed the sand on Besaid shore where Trista lay snuggled against Vadina's bare muscular chest, watching the ocean waves as they crashed in the distance. It wasn't the first time she had disobeyed her parents—in fact, it had become almost a regular occurrence, lately. So why did she feel so guilty about it this time? The last thing she wanted was to go to class and put up a façade. Everything had changed last night. Her life would never be the same.

"Hey, whatcha thinkin'?"

Lifting her head, she gazed into her boyfriend's big brown eyes and smiled. He was so damn sexy. From the dimples on his cheeks to his perfectly gelled ginger hair, everything about him made her melt. But, his smile—oh, his smile got her to do naughty things she didn't think she'd be ready to engage in a year ago. And if her father knew, he'd kill him, especially since her father and her boyfriend's father, Wakka, had a strained relationship since before she was born. All she knew was it had something to do with her father joining the Goers and selling out.

"Tris?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry, I just spaced out."

"I can tell." Vadina gave her his famous sexy smile and ran his thumb over her bottom lip, making her heart flutter. "I asked whatcha were thinkin'."

"Before or now?" she asked, raising a brow.

He chuckled, moving his fingers from her lips to the knot tying up her halter-top at the back of her neck. "You're thinkin' dirty thoughts, aren't ya?"

"Is this your weird way of seducing me?"

"Is it working?"

Why did he have to be so irresistible? "C'mon we can't do this here. It's the middle of the day on a public beach."

"That hasn't stopped us before," he said, fumbling with the knot in her halter.

Trista grabbed his hand and gently guided it away from its task. "It was late at night in a much more secluded spot."

"I can always do like the last time and get us a room at an inn."

There were definitely perks of having a lover at the legal age of eighteen. It gave them options they otherwise wouldn't have. As much as she would love for him to bring her over the edge of ecstasy like he had done several times in the past few months, it wouldn't change what was ailing her at the moment. She had made the trip to Besaid for a reason. Yes, part of it was to spend time with Vadina, but mainly she wanted to practice summoning Leviathan. "I'll have to take a rain check on that offer."

"Aww, c'mon babe," he groaned, tucking a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. "We've made out on the beach practically all mornin'. Ya got me really worked up."

The tent in his brightly colored beach shorts made his claim rather obvious. Normally, she wouldn't deny him some time in between the sheets—after all, she had become quite addicted in the art of making love to him—but this wasn't the time or place. She had more important things to attend to. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't come all this way for a booty call."

Truthfully, she expected him to be irritated by her comment, but that wasn't the case. He looked almost wounded by her words, his face dropping along with the tent in his shorts. "I'm sorry if ya got the wrong impression. I'm not in dis just for sex. Ya know I love ya, right?"

"Is this some kind of guilt trip?" The moment those words left her lips she regretted them, realizing how insulting they had been. Judging from Vadina's sour expression, he wasn't about to give her the opportunity to apologize for them either. What was she thinking? Bah, she was just like her father. "Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that—I just—I thought you were—I'm dealing with some heavy stuff and I'm not thinking clearly."

"I'd better go," he suggested, rolling on his side in an effort to stand.

"Wait, Vadina! I'm sorry!" Trista leapt to her feet as her boyfriend prepared to storm off and grabbed him by the arm, attempting to halt his quick retreat. "I know you love me and I love you, too."

"You better get back to class. Ya shouldn't skip school."

Ignoring his words which were surely meant as a jab at her age, she tugged on his arm more forcefully than before, determined for him to hear her out. "None of this is gonna matter if I don't find a way to harness this power I have!"

Now that got his attention. "Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" He frowned, yanking his arm out from her grasp.

"I can't tell you everything. It's kind of a family secret."

He looked at her with one eyebrow raised—an expression usually reserved for Wakka when he went off on a drunken rant. "What's going on, Tris?

Feeling cornered, she sucked in a deep breath and prepared to choose her words carefully. She couldn't tell him the whole truth, especially after agreeing with her family last night to keep a tight lid on things, but she had to give him something significant, or she may lose him forever. "Promise me, you won't tell anyone what I'm gonna tell you. Not even your parents, especially your parents."

His confused expression turned into one of concern. "Fine, I promise."

"I'm serious."

"Is my word not good enough for ya?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." She paused, hesitant to even give a vague explanation of what her father had revealed to her, worried it may still not be enough to satisfy her boyfriend's curiosity. "Spira's in danger. My family is in this deep. And I may be the only one who can save us all."

She half expected him to laugh it off as a joke, but from the way his mouth gaped open at her confession, she was certain he hadn't taken it that way. "You serious 'bout dis?"

"You think I'm lying?"

"I dunno what to think," he shrugged. "It's pretty out there. But I do remember my mother talkin' 'bout some strange spell ya cast the other day."

"You're right, it's pretty wild. But I'm telling you the truth."

"Then, ya need to tell me everythin'."

"I can't do that! I've already said too much. I may have put all of our lives in danger."

Vadina dug his heels into the sand where he stood and let out a long breath, suggesting his was more stressed out than normal. "You said ya came out here to do somethin' important. What was it?"

Well, she had come this far. She might as well disclose this part to him, since he would most likely be sticking around for the show. "I came here because this island isn't very populated. And I needed to be near the sea to summon a primal."

"Summon a what?"

The stunned look on his face as he staggering back a few steps almost made her giggle. "A primal called Leviathan."

"Ya can't summon anythin' without the fayth and they don't exist anymore."

 _If he only knew._ "I'm not a traditional summoner. I'm not using the fayth. I'm summoning it through sheer will."

"Now dis I gotta see with my own eyes."

"You and me both," she muttered.

"Wait, so ya never actually seen dis thing?"

"No."

"So, how do ya know you can summon it?"

"I know—bah, just trust me! I can summon it. And I intend to do it today."

No longer interested in engaging in the back in forth with her boyfriend, she stormed off toward the edge of the beach where the sea met the sandy shore. He had distracted her entirely too much already and she needed to continue with the task she set out to do in the first place.

"I'm here for ya, babe," Vadina said, standing next to her as the warm breeze ruffled through his messed up hair.

"Then stay quiet while I do this."

Focusing her attention on the sea, she concentrated on a strange feeling inside like she had done before. This feeling was somewhat foreign to her. It was like a longing coupled with sorrow and little bit of rage. She wasn't sure where it was coming from, but nonetheless, it was there. And so, she surrendered to whatever force was churning her emotions into tumultuous waves.

The sea sloshed around like before, but something was different this time. It looked as if it were bubbling to a chaotic boil. In a matter of moments, the water shot up at least twenty feet into the air accompanied by a loud wail. When the water receded, an enormous blue serpent towered over them, flapping a giant pair of fins as though they were wings. Captivated by the summon, Trista studied how the droplets of water slid down the scales of its dragon-like head and how its long whiskers gently swayed in the summer breeze.

"Holy shit," Vadina said in awe. "That thing is huge!"

Mesmerized by the unique looking creature, Trista unconsciously stepped into the sea and began wading through the water toward the majestic serpent.

"No, Tris! Stop!"

Vadina's desperate plea snapped her out of her trance-like state. She stopped dead in her tracks, now realizing she was up to her waist in water. "It's okay! It won't hurt me!" she hollered over her shoulder, refusing to tear her eyes away from the primal.

"You don't know that!"

"You're so beautiful," she whispered.

Leviathan lowered its massive head toward the water, stopping inches away from where she stood. She could feel the serpent's warm breath against her skin. In a way, she understood why Vadina was all but freaking out about her being near this monstrous creature. To the average person, she was no doubt, standing next to a gigantic sea serpent. However, she sensed this primal would do her no harm—in fact, she sensed its protective nature toward her.

"Why me? What makes me so special?" she asked, reaching out to pet the creature's scaly snout as if it would somehow answer her question. "You're gonna help me defeat the realm keepers, aren't you?"

In a surprise response, the blue serpent let out a strange, soft sounding, grunt.

Trista chuckled in reply, carefully caressing the summon's rigid surface. "I'll take that as a yes. You better get going before my boyfriend back there has a stroke. We'll meet again, my friend."

With that promise, Leviathan pulled back and shot up into the air before plunging back into the sea several feet from the shore.

Beaming with pride from her monumental accomplishment, Trista returned to the beach with the bottom half of her body soaking wet and leapt into her lover's warm embrace. "That was amazing! I really did it! I summoned Leviathan!"

"You sure did," he replied, squeezing her so tightly against his chest it began to hurt her ribs. "And if you want your loved ones to live, you'll use it against Zanarkand's keepers."

Her heart froze and her muscles tensed. She knew something was off about the way he was clutching her when she returned to shore. This was clearly no longer her boyfriend. "You're not Vadina. W-Who are you?"

The strong arms gripping her eased as whatever force was possessing her boyfriend's body pulled back to look her in eye. Her blood chilled when she was met with a pair of black soulless depths. "Your father knows me as Bahamut. We're aware of his plot with Zanarkand's keepers."

Meeting one of these beings was certainly unexpected—not to mention, terrifying. Battling the fear gripping her soul, she struggled to find her voice in an effort to protect those she loved. "H-He's not siding with them anymore."

"Good. As long as he keeps his word to us then people won't start dying. But, if he doesn't, then your precious lover will be the first to go. Remember, Trista, no one in Spira has to die."

Before she even had a chance to respond, the black callous eyes invading her boyfriend's sockets rolled back into his head as he sank to the ground in a heap beside her feet.

"Vadina!" Trista knelt beside him and carefully rolled him onto his back. Her heart pounded wildly. Those vile creatures were threatening to harm people she loved. They had even less time than her parents had calculated. She couldn't lose Vadina.

Her boyfriend looked up at her with his big beautiful brown eyes, confused and clearly in pain from the way he was wincing. "What happened? Did that Leviathingy attack me?"

"No," she said defeated, knowing she would now have to tell him everything if she wanted to protect him. "You're no longer safe. You have to come back with me to Luca. My parents need to know what happened. I'll explain everything to you once we get there, but we have to leave now."


	10. The Cosmic Algorithm

**Chapter 10**

It had been a long time since Tidus had been anywhere near the barren wasteland formally known as Macalania woods. He was disheartened at how cities like Bevelle and Luca were prioritized for urban development, yet no one even considered planting some trees to replace the dead twigs, which stood erect in the middle of what had once been a place of majestic beauty. It was a shame, really. Those woods held a special place in his heart and he knew they had for his wife as well.

"Tidus, we make a left here!"

"Huh? Shit!" he cursed, slamming his foot down on the breaks. Having been so engrossed with lamenting over the loss of Macalania, he had almost driven past the dirt road, leading to a small out of place forest he had never seen before today.

"Do you want me to take over?"

"No, I'm fine," he insisted, shifting the vehicle in reverse. "Did you talk to Rikku, yet?"

"I just got off the mobile sphere with her twenty minutes ago. Were you not paying attention?"

"No Yuna, I've been driving. I was watching the road."

"Like you were, just now?"

Clearly she was in the mood to argue and he wanted no part of it. He just wanted to find Maechen along with some hope for the future. "What did she say?"

"She's on her way over to our house, right now. She should be there by the time the twins get out of class. They're not little kids anymore, you know."

"They're certainly not adults either," he stressed, turning onto the shallow dirt road. "And with the situation being what it is…I don't want them alone. I dunno how long this is gonna take and it's not like Luca is just down the street from here."

Her lack of response led him to believe he had won their little tiff—not that he was about to gloat or anything, but it sure felt nice to win at something lately.

The path into the forest ended where a dense population of tall purple leaved trees began. He put the vehicle in park and turned off the ignition, staring out the windshield at the vast foliage in front. "I sure hope we didn't get hosed by that sleaze."

"A million gil for a location? Oh, I'd say we got hosed pretty good."

He couldn't argue that point, but the alternative was certainly not an option he would have ever considered. "I guess we walk from here."

The strange forest was just that—strange. Not only were the color of the leaves on the trees unlike any other in Spira, but the sap oozing from the bark was oddly purple as well. It was as if it were part of another world—one that had a peculiar sweet smell lingering in the air. There was also an eerie sense of calm the deeper they delved into the woods, that is, until Yuna let out a loud grunt.

Startled by the sound, he flinched and looked at his wife, who was swatting at a fly that wouldn't seem to leave her alone. He tried to suppress a laugh but it didn't work.

When the insect finally 'buzzed-off', she shot him an icy glare. Her reaction put an abrupt end to his laughing fit, but he couldn't wipe the smirk off his face. She was too cute—not to mention, incredibly sexy in the shorts and tube-top she chose to wear for the day.

After venturing a little further into the woods, they stumbled upon a small rundown wooden house that looked more like a survivalist's hideaway than a place of residence.

Yuna's shoulders slumped in a way that suggested she was disappointed at their discovery. "This is the house?"

"Shack is more like it," Tidus quipped with a chuckle. "Hello? Maechen, are you in there?"

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" she chided.

"I'm afraid it may cave in if I do that. I mean, look at this place." Tidus poked the wooden door and was surprised when it creaked open. "Guess we'll let ourselves in."

The inside was equally unimpressive as the exterior with the sun's rays peeking through the open lattice windows, barely illuminating the countless dust particles floating in the air. A small wooden table sat off to the side with stacks of papers scattered on top and four chairs pulled out on each corner. Several cushions and sheets littered the ground as if the place had been ransacked by thieves. It was evident no one had lived there in a very long time.

"Now what?" Yuna groaned.

One thing Tidus could always count on was his gut feelings. And right now, he had a very strong urge pulling him toward the papers sprawled out on the table. "There's gotta be something here that'll lead us to Maechen. Or at least something significant he left behind."

"Like what?" Yuna asked, leafing through the sheets of paper.

"I dunno, but I'll know when I find it."

After about twenty minutes of sifting through the mountain of useless documents, a peculiar looking map caught Tidus' attention—more specifically, the name on it which he hadn't seen since his graduating year of high school in Zanarkand, during a class lesson on ancient folklore.

"What? What did you find?"

"It's a map of a place I never believe existed." He set the faded yellow parchment on the table for his wife to see and pointed at the name on top.

Yuna arched a brow in response. "Eorzea?"

"In Zanarkand, we never believed in anything we couldn't see with our own eyes. It's why when I came to Spira the whole Yevon religion seemed rather strange for me. However, some of Zanarkand's elders were of a different mindset. They believed in this theory of twelve gods who resided in a land called Eorzea. Each god harbored the power of an element and were connected to Hydaelyn, a supreme entity who took the form of a crystal and ruled over all. They swore they had evidence of their existence. But they later claimed it was destroyed by some ancient deities who wanted to hide the truth. After hearing that explanation, no one ever took them seriously. We just called them old kooks."

"That's quite a tale, Tidus."

"Only, it may actually be true."

"Why? Because of this map?"

It was all coming back to him. Everything he learned in that class. The names of the twelve and one in particular stood out like a white chocobo in amongst a herd. "Now I know why the name Maechen used stuck a chord with me. Thaliak commanded the element of water. He was the keeper of knowledge and a reserved scholar. Come to think of it, those ancient deities the elders referred to may very well be Zanarkand's keepers. Do you know what this means?"

The questionable look on her face indicated she still needed more convincing. "You think Maechen is one of these twelve gods?"

"He said so himself. Think about it. He always had knowledge of things in Spira that no one else knew. Not to mention, all this new information we discussed the other night. He commanded a wave to knock me and Trista off the pier. The old fossil never ages. He isn't an unsent. And he disappears without a trace then can appear outta nowhere. Who else can do that?"

Yuna pursed her lips to the side in thought. "You have a point."

"If he's one of the twelve, then maybe he can stop the realm keepers and end all this before it even starts."

"That's assuming he's on our side and not theirs. Even so, how are we gonna find him? Are we gonna magically travel to this Eorzea?"

A low menacing growl came from outside. Tidus froze and stared at the half-open door. _Of all the times to be left unarmed._ Over the years, fiends had become all but extinct with attacks being an extremely rare case. He and Yuna had stashed their weapons in a trunk in the attic years ago, hoping to never use them again—a decision he now regretted.

The garbled growls grew louder as a dark silhouette shifted behind the partially open door. Before he could find anything useful to barricade the entrance with, the wooden slab flew off the hinges and crashed into the wall on the opposite side of the room, shattering into splinters.

A thin, pasty colored being stood in the doorway with tattered flesh and a face so deformed it looked like it was made of melted wax. Its dark eyes darted between him and his wife, preparing to choose its victim. There was no question in Tidus' mind this thing was an undead. "Yuna, cast holy on it now!"

The spell struck the being in a bright blast, forcing it to stagger a few steps back, but otherwise proved to be ineffective from how it lumbered toward them.

"I don't understand," Yuna said, panicked. "That should've killed it!"

The demonic looking creature bared its sharp teeth with a hiss and pounced on Yuna, knocking her to the ground.

With his heart pounding wildly, Tidus sprang into action, grabbing the creature by the neck as he wrestled with it in an effort to pry it off his wife. Yuna's fearful cries echoed in his ears. At that moment, he felt something stir in him like never before. Initially, he had thought it was just a surge of determination, but he had experienced that many times. This was very different. It was power like he had never felt before.

A fiery sensation rushed through his veins. Feeling like he could hoist a vehicle over his head, he tossed the pasty being off his wife and stood gasping for air over its mangled looking form.

The undead creature quickly regained its footing and lunged at Tidus.

Just then, a bright blast erupted from his palm and exploded against the being, vaporizing it in a single blow.

Everything had happened so fast. He didn't know what he had done or how he had done it, but at this point it really didn't matter. Whatever that thing was, it was dead. He quickly returned to his wife, who was now sitting up and rubbing her arms. "You alright?" he asked, helping her to her feet.

Yuna nodded and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Thank you."

He was a little taken aback by her response. She was his wife and the mother of his children. Did she honestly feel the need to thank him for saving her life? "You may not love me anymore, but I'll never stop loving you."

"Is that what you think?" Yuna pulled back from his embrace and frowned. "You think I can just switch off my feelings like a lamp?"

Now he was more confused than anything. "Your actions speak volumes. And just earlier today at Rin's office, I could see the uncertainty in your eyes when I asked if you still loved me."

"I've had a lot to digest over the past twenty-four hours. My emotions are all over the place. Fear being the biggest one. And yes, I'm angry with you. Furious even, but that doesn't mean I don't love you."

Relieved to learn he had misinterpreted her actions, he let out a long breath and caressed the side of her face. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

The unmistakable love she now had shining in her eyes quickly faded into concern. "What was the spell you cast on that thing?"

And now, he was posed with a question he really didn't have an answer for. "I honestly don't know. When I heard you cry out, something in me snapped. It was just like raw power. I dunno how else to explain it."

"You know, it's almost exactly what Trista described doing."

"You mean this force magic you were looking into?"

"Yeah."

He had to admit the uncanny similarities were there. What did that mean, exactly? Spira's keepers led him to believe his daughter would be the only one with such power. Now, he wasn't so sure. This spell he had cast only supported Maechen's claim about something powerful in his bloodline. Which begged the question, just who exactly were his ancestors? "I think we're done here. Let's get going, before something else attacks us."

"Leaving so soon?" The elderly scholar stood in the doorway, leaning against the tattered frame. "What a pity. And here I thought you came all this way seeking answers. Perhaps, I was wrong."

It never failed. Every time Tidus thought the chips were down, things seemed to always play out in his favor. He wasn't sure if he was just that lucky, or if there was a greater purpose to all this. At this point, he was betting on the latter. "So, you knew we'd come looking for you?"

"I know many things. I'm sure you're aware of that now." The decrepit old man stepped inside the dusty confines of the ravaged house and pointed his staff over to the spot where Tidus had killed the undead creature. "Just as you're now aware of the power you share with your daughter."

"Wait, did you send that thing after us?" Tidus inquired, taking a step toward the old man in an effort to confront him.

"It was the only way to awaken your powers."

Yuna's eyes flashed with anger. "We could've been killed! What kind of twisted god are you?"

"One who wishes for stability in the universe."

"So then, you'll help us?" Tidus asked.

"Not in the way you envision. However, I can guide you down the correct path."

"I knew it," Yuna said, bitterly. "You're in league with Spira's keepers, aren't you?"

"No, my lady, that's incorrect. You see, I've become particularly fond of this realm. It's nothing like the world of Hydaelyn, but it does have a certain charm to it. Due to my bias nature toward Spira, I cannot physically intervene. However, I would love nothing more than for this realm to be liberated and for Zanarkand to remain unharmed."

Finally, some information he could pursue. "How do you liberate a realm?"

"You must first destroy the keepers of the realm in question. Then, you must earn the favor of a god. One who is willing to use their powers to liberate a world. Once a realm is liberated, it cannot be attacked by another realm and its keepers."

"Sounds like a tall order," Yuna muttered. "And let me guess, we can't earn your favor?"

"Correct, my bias excludes me from the equation. However, as one of the twelve I do have their ear."

"You're a god!" Tidus cried. "Or so you claim! Why does your bias matter? What rules do you have to follow?"

"The one's crafted by Hydaelyn, of course. I would never go against the mothercrystal."

Yuna scoffed. "Why doesn't Hydaelyn just put an end to all this then?"

"Free will, my dear, is a gift. Hydaelyn never intervenes in otherworldly affairs, unless it threatens the entire universe. It goes against the very principle of all she created."

"So then, what?" Tidus crossed his arms over his chest, even more irritated than before. "We just wait and hope you can convince another god to join our cause?"

"I know of at least one who will be more than willing to lend you aid, Nymeia, the goddess of fate. However, it will be up to you to earn her favor. And I can assure you, earning the favor of a god is no easy task." Thaliak paused then looked Tidus straight in the eye. "Even if you are a descendant of one."

It felt like all the air had escaped his lungs. Had he heard him, correctly? No, there must've been some mistake. He was just a spoiled blitzball star from Zanarkand. He wasn't related to any god. "You're clearly mistaken."

"Am, I? You see, Spira's keepers were mistaken. They thought your father's bloodline was linked to Nymeia, all because he enjoyed blitzball as though it were concrete evidence of him harboring her element of water. It's why they pulled him from Zanarkand to Spira. Not once had they ever considered your mother and her lineage."

The shock he had been experiencing had quickly morphed into feelings of rage, now realizing his father's death had been in vain. His jaw tightened. Those realm keepers weren't only interested in claiming Zanarkand for their own, but hell bent on tapping into the power of one of the gods to further their future schemes. "It wouldn't end with claiming Zanarkand, would it? These keepers planned all along to use this power my daughter and I share."

"They may be cunning, but they're no match against someone linked to one of the twelve. They're more afraid of you and your daughter than you realize. And they should be. Nymeia's blood runs through your veins. You're a threat to their existence. They'll become desperate once they realize they no longer have power over you. I recommend taking them out before that happens. In the meantime, I'll see to it Nymeia receives word of this undertaking. Once you defeat Spira's keepers, she'll appear."

"How do we earn her favor?" Yuna asked, clearly as surprised as he was from the stunned look on her face.

"That will be up to Nymeia when you meet." Thaliak reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a red crystal the size of a small rock then handed it to Tidus. "Here, take this."

"What is it?" Tidus inquired, studying the exquisite object in his palm.

"It's an aether crystal, containing a fragment of the soul energy from the keepers of this realm. You'll need it to summon the keepers in their physical form when you're ready to confront them. Blow on it and they'll appear. Just be aware it can have a delayed effect. I suggest waiting until you're in the Farplane abyss before using it. Contrary to popular belief, you'll be at an advantage there rather than anywhere else in Spira."

Yuna frowned. "I thought you said you couldn't physically help us in any way?"

"Handing you that crystal is not the same as aiding you in battle or choosing to liberate this realm."

Shoving the crystal into the back pocket of his jeans, Tidus gave the god of knowledge an earnest smile, grateful for all the aid he had already offered. "Thank you, Thaliak…for everything."

The ancient god smiled warmly in reply, his body growing translucent before fading away.


	11. Change of Tides

**Chapter 11**

The ferry ride from Besaid to Luca seemed to take forever, since Trista had to skillfully dodge all of her boyfriend's questions along the way. His insistence aggravated her a bit, considering she had already expressed the need for discretion when revealing such sensitive information—it's not like she intended to back pedal on her promise.

When they had finally arrived at her home, the tension between them only seemed to amplify. She was nervous of how he would react to the news. And even more worried of her parents' reaction, once they discovered she had involved Vadina after they had distinctly stressed to keep everything quiet.

Much to her dismay, Vadina responded exactly as she had calculated with him growing furious and blaming her father for everything. "How can ya defend him?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at her in a scrutinizing manner as if she had committed a crime.

Troubled by the argument they were having, Trista scooted over on the sofa offering more space between her and her boyfriend. "It's not his fault! These keepers are the real enemy here, not my father!"

"He was willin' to destroy Spira! And use you to do it!"

"No, you got it twisted!" Slumping back against the cushions, she blinked back the tears pooling in her eyes. "I should've kept my mouth shut. Telling you all this was obviously a mistake."

"If that's how ya feel, then I'll show myself out."

Panic set in, the moment his words registered in her mind. The whole point of bringing him there and disclosing this information was to keep him safe. She couldn't let him leave. "No, wait!" she pleaded, grabbing his wrist. "I shouldn't have said that—I just—my father made a mistake. He's trying to correct it. He's not the one who invaded your body back on the beach!"

Her boyfriend's face softened. "Look, I get it. He's your dad. I'm just havin' a lot of trouble processin' all dis. If these keepers can take over my mind and body, what else can they do?"

And it was precisely that question which terrified her most. "I'm not so sure we wanna find out."

The sound of keys jingling made Trista gasp and sit up straight. Her muscles tensed as she thought of how she would defend her actions to her parents. When her brother appeared in the doorway, she relaxed against the sofa's cushion's, relieved. "I thought you were Mom and Dad."

Zak shut the door and frowned. "What's he doing here?"

"Nice to see ya too, Zak," Vadina said, dryly.

It was no secret both her brother and Vadina were at odds with one another for the exact same reason and everyone at school knew about it. They were both romantically involved with each other's sister. Surprisingly, they had managed to keep their relationships under the radar from their parents, despite all the drama of them being overprotective brothers.

In an effort to impede a confrontation between them, Trista sought to steer her twin's attention elsewhere. "I thought you were gonna join me in Besaid after cutting class, what happened?"

"I convinced Alyse to join me in Kilika for some cuddle time," he replied with a wink in Vadina's direction. "The inn there must be hard up. They don't require any ID to get a room. Just some good ol' fashion gil."

Well, so much for that idea. Her brother's attempt to infuriate Vadina had worked from the way he squeezed his hands into fists. "You think ya cute, huh? I bet my father would love to know whatcha been up to with my little sister."

A smug grin spread across Zak's lips. "No prob, man. Just as soon as we let my dad know the kinda stuff you've been doing to his baby girl."

Word sure travels fast at Luca high. It was a miracle none of their parents had found out about their adult activities. "Stop! You two are acting like little kids!" Trista scolded. "Besides, you'll wanna know what happened at the beach, Zak."

"Please, spare me the details," he muttered, tossing his keys onto the coffee table.

"Oh, you'll wanna hear dis."

"Really? What's so important?"

"Vadina knows everything."

Zak's eyes widened. "What!? What the hell were you thinking? Mom and Dad are gonna have a shoopuf when they find out! You realize that, right?"

"I had to, Zak. He's in danger. Bahamut possessed him after I summoned Leviathan."

"You—what?!" Her brother's eyes slipped shut as he groaned, clearly upset with her confession. "Why would you summon that thing in front of him?"

"She told me 'bout it before hand."

Instead of helping to quell the situation, her boyfriend had only managed to make things worse by his response. She wasn't exactly ready to reveal that bit of information to her brother just yet.

The disapproving glare Zak shot her way made it feel like her father was standing in front of her and not her twin. "That's just great. Did it ever occur to you that maybe Bahamut targeted Vadina because you involved him in this mess?"

His words acted like a noose around her neck, tightening at the last syllable. It felt like all the air had emptied from her lungs. Tears sprang to her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. He was right. Involving Vadina, even in the slightest way, had endangered his life.

"You satisfied, now?" Vadina asked, bitterly.

Zak's hardened expression changed into one of regret. "Tris, I'm sorry—"

"No, you're right. I messed up."

The room fell silent. Before the tension had a chance to reach an unbearable level, an agonizing wail pierced through the quiet confines of the house.

Trista flinched, startled by the sound and looked at Vadina, who was now gripping his temples with his face contorted in pain. "Vadina, what's wrong?!"

Her boyfriend's tormented cries subsided into heavy breaths as a sheen layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. "M-My head...felt like...I was...it was gonna explode."

"This is way out of our league," Zak warned. "We need to reach Mom and Dad."

"I-It burns. Everything burns...so hot."

Trista's stomach twisted with dread. Why was this happening? Bahamut promised not to harm her boyfriend so long as they believed they were on their side. Had they learned otherwise?

Just when she thought the situation couldn't get any worse, the doorbell rang followed by the chipper voice of none other than her mother's bubbly cousin Rikku, inquiring if anyone was home. "Shit! Zak, what are we gonna do?"

"Maybe we should let her in."

She was actually a bit stunned by her brother's suggestion, considering how upset he had become once learning she had involved Vadina."You wanna risk her finding out everything?"

"You wanna risk Vadina's life? We don't have to tell her anything, really. She's versed in healing magic. Maybe she can help him."

And that was all the convincing she needed. Scrambling off the couch, she raced over to the door and opened it for the blond Al Bhed waiting on the other side.

The cheerful look on Rikku's face quickly changed into one of concern. "What's wrong?"

"It's Vadina. Something's happened to him. He needs help."

The near middle-aged blond charged into the house and over to the sofa where Vadina lay, now propped up on the throw pillows with her brother crouching at his side. Rikku sure had changed from the time Trista was little. The outgoing Al Bhed had traded in her provocative outfits for much more sensible articles of clothing like the khaki shorts and green tank-top she was wearing now, as well as abandoning her long braids to embrace wavy tresses down to her waist.

"What happened?" Rikku asked, kneeling beside Vadina as she inspected his sweaty face.

Zak stood and hugged his arms, signifying he was more nervous than he was letting on. "We're not sure. We were just talking when he screamed in pain. Something about his head hurting and feeling like he's on fire."

"We should get him to the infirmary."

"Wait—no!" Trista cried, panicked by the suggestion. "I mean—can't you do something to help him? You know healing magic, right?"

From the stunned look on Rikku's face, it was clear coaxing her assistance without revealing this secret would prove to be more difficult than she had anticipated. "I've been outta practice a long time. He needs to see a professional healing mage."

"Can't you just try?" Zak pleaded.

Rikku frowned. "Why do I get the impression you two know more than what you're saying?"

Trembling from the severity of the situation, Trista shoved her hands into the pockets of her denim shorts in an effort to conceal her frazzled nerves. "Please, Rikku…please help him."

The blond Al Bhed's expression softened as she stared at Vadina's sweaty quivering form. "I'll try," she said with a dejected sigh. "But if I can't, I'm contacting Wakka and Lulu and you two better start talking then."


	12. Troubled Waters

**Chapter 12**

The brilliant glow of the afternoon sun had dipped below the horizon, giving way to pink and purple ribbons of light in what looked like paint fanned across an artist's canvas.

Tidus checked his blind spot before changing lanes to the first off-ramp exit to Luca. They had made it back to the city in what he considered to be record timing. For the most part, the drive home was shrouded in awkward silence, which he suspected was attributed more to the revelation of his lineage than anything else. They had briefly discussed a battle plan and how long they should wait before confronting Spira's keepers, but Yuna had made no mention of his relation to Nymeia the entire ride. Honestly, he wasn't surprised by her silence on the matter. Even he was still having difficulty digesting that piece of information. He could only imagine what his wife was thinking, but nevertheless, they had to discuss it at some point.

"Yuna?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think we should tell the kids about…well, you know…how I'm related to a god."

"They'll need to know at some point. But for now, I agree. We should keep this just between us."

Her response surprised him a little. He really hadn't expected her to go along with his suggestion so easily, especially when she detested keeping secrets ever since it landed her into trouble on her pilgrimage. "So…why are you in agreement with me on this?"

"Plausible deniability. If one of those keepers gets to Trista or Zak, them knowing of your connection to Nymeia could botch the entire operation and even put their lives in danger. We can't risk that."

A smirk crept up on his lips. It had been a long time since he had seen this side of his wife. She was thinking strategically, but in a much more competent way than she had in the past. Then again, Yuna was no longer a naïve teenager. She had come a long way since the days of her pilgrimage. "How do you feel about all this?"

"What? How you're related to a god?"

"Yeah."

"I'll admit, it's a lot to take in. This doesn't change how I feel about you, if that's what you're hinting at. For the longest time, I thought you were a dream. If I can accept that scenario then this should be a much easier pill to swallow."

He chuckled at her words, finding them quite amusing. "Yeah, I guess."

When they finally arrived home, Tidus expected everything to appear somewhat normal with Rikku stretched out on the sofa, watching the spherevision and his teenage kids hiding out in their respected rooms—fate, however, had other things in mind. Instead, he was faced with the chaotic scene of his wife's cousin kneeling beside the couch, looking spent as the bright light of healing magic poured out of her hands into Vadina's writhing body.

"What the hell?!" Tidus boomed, hurrying over to the sofa. "What's going on here?"

Rikku slumped back on her legs, breathing heavily. "That's what I'd like to know."

His children traded conspiratorial glances as they stood by the coffee table hugging their arms, clearly nervous about responding to his question.

"It's complicated," Trista replied, now staring down at the floor.

From the stern look on his wife's face, he could sense she was equally displeased with their daughter's response. "What's Vadina doing here? And more importantly, what happened to him?"

"We were just hanging out," Zak explained. "Then outta nowhere he started screaming about pain in his head and feeling hot. That's when Rikku showed up. She's been using healing magic on him for the past two hours."

Just then, Vadina groaned and began to stir. "Don't…please…don't let him kill me."

Rikku skeptically narrowed her eyes at the young man. "Kill you? Who do you think's gonna kill you?"

"B-Bahamut."

Tidus' eyes grew wide at Vadina's answer, surprised he would make such a claim, since the boy's family still very much revered what they believed were the fayth, which led Tidus to suspect he may know something to the contrary.

"Why would Bahamut try to kill you?" Rikku asked.

"He's just rambling," Zak interjected, waving a dismissive hand in front as if Vadina's claim was unimportant. "You know how a good dose of healing magic can dope you up after."

Judging from the way his son was trying to curtail Rikku from questioning the matter any further, all but confirmed Tidus' suspicion. His children really had betrayed his trust. In an effort to distract his cousin-in-law's inquisitive nature, he helped Rikku to her feet and forced a smile. "Thanks for coming over to check on the kids. We'll take it from here."

The blond Al Bhed avoided his eyes and shifted her attention over to his wife. "You wouldn't be keeping anything from me, would you, Yunie?"

This was exactly the kind of scenario he feared—Rikku attempting to extract the truth out of Yuna.

"After all we've been through…why would I do something like that?"

His wife had never been a good liar. Even with the few times she had attempted to pull it off in the past, it was obvious from the guilty gleam in her eyes. However, this time, her expression remained serious without a hint of regret on her face. He was amazed at the seemingly flawless way she had executed the lie to the point he would've been convinced had he not known otherwise.

Rikku rubbed her chin in the way she would when she suspected something odd. "I dunno. Something awfully fishy is going on here."

 _Damn it._ He had to think of something fast. "What's the situation with Vadina? Was your treatment successful or should Yuna take over?"

"Vadina's stable and he'll recover with some rest, but he should still go to an infirmary. We still don't know what happened to him."

"And we'll be sure to get him to one," Yuna lied—again.

"I get the feeling you're trying to get rid of me."

Some things never change. Rikku had always been persistent, especially when she suspected something was amiss. He had to get her out of there before she decided to unleash a full blown interrogation on them. His wife may have been successful lying a couple times, but that didn't mean her resolve wouldn't waver under pressure from the woman she viewed more as a sister than a cousin.

"We need to have a little chat with our kids. I'm sure you can appreciate that," Tidus said, carefully guiding the blond Al Bhed over to the door. "Besides, I'm sure Gippal is wondering what's keeping you. You know how he gets when he's left alone with those little rascals for too long."

Rikku frowned. "My kids aren't rascals. They're just rambunctious."

"We'll keep you posted," Yuna smiled.

"I'll hold you to that."

The second his wife's animated cousin pulled out of the driveway, Tidus slammed the door and stormed over to the sofa to confront his teenage children. "Start talking!"

It was evident from the way his daughter's mouth was opening and closing like a fish, she was guilty and afraid to admit it. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy. I-I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Does Vadina know!?" Yuna roared.

"I-I can explain."

Tidus huffed, impatiently waiting for his daughter to continue. "We're all ears, Tris."

In the past few years, he and Yuna had been faced more times than he could count with scolding their children, but never on this kind of level. His daughter's defiance this time could cost lives. He wasn't just furious by her actions, but disappointed in her serious lack of judgement. And her explanation of things only confirmed what he feared—she was just as immature and reckless as he had been at her age. It was like staring into a mirror, which only pissed him off even more. He didn't want her to make the same mistakes he had in life.

"I get why you'd cut class to try summoning that thing," Tidus began, folding his arms across his chest in an effort to control his temper, "but I still don't understand why you mentioned anything to Vadina in the first place."

The fierce blush spreading across her cheeks made the answer rather obvious. Vadina was more than just a friend to his daughter. Now, it made sense to him. And he was even more disappointed in her than before, realizing how selfish her motives had been. "How long?"

"I—uh—what do you mean?" Trista stammered.

"How long have you two been romantically involved?"

Her eyes refused to meet his as she focused on twisting the hem of her halter-top. "About eight months."

Damn. How the hell had he not seen this before? All this time she had been sneaking around and he hadn't the slightest clue. He had always been very intuitive, and yet, somehow it failed him on this matter. What else had she been doing in secret? Something told him he didn't want to know the answer to that question, but somehow, it managed to escape his lips anyway. "Just how close are you two?"

"Tidus!"

"C'mon Dad, we need to focus on more important things!" Zak implored. "Like what we're gonna do about Vadina. And if you and Mom found Maechen."

Judging from how his daughter's cheeks turned an even a deeper shade of pink, he already knew the answer to his question. "Nevermind. The look on your face says it all."

The gentle squeeze Yuna gave his wrist served as a warning for him to drop the subject. His wife then let out a long breath, indicating she was just as frustrated with the whole situation. "Considering everything you told us…we can't let him leave. It's too dangerous. I guess that means he'll have to stay here for now."

As much as he wanted to protest her proposal, he knew Vadina was safer with them. It didn't mean had to be happy about the arrangement. The small smile creeping up on his daughter's lips, prompted him to give her a stern look. "He'll be staying in the guest bedroom, of course."

"Tidus, really! Drop it for now."

The room suddenly felt stuffy. He had to get out of there and clear his mind. "Your mother can fill you in on what we learned today. I—I need some air."

Without giving his family a second glance, he retreated from the house and out back onto the rocks overlooking the ocean.

The moon's soft glow reflected against the dark lapping waters, making the sea shimmer with a kind of beauty he often relished in. It were times like these when Tidus would often reminisce about his carefree days back in lap-of-leisure Zanarkand, fondly remembering the adventures he had with his best friend, Trin—the closest thing he had to a sister. He was curious as to what had become of her life after he was ripped away from that world. Not once had he mentioned her to Yuna—afraid she may get the wrong idea—but her well-being had weighed heavily on him over the years and it had been one of the main reasons he had initially sided with Zanarkand's keepers. She had always managed to put his mind at ease, strangely enough, by her blunt responses. He wished she were around to give him some sound advice like the countless times she had in Zanarkand.

"Daddy?"

His daughter's voice anchored him back to reality. He didn't know how long he had been standing out there, but he knew for certain, he hadn't cooled down enough to engage in a conversation with her. "I came out here to be alone. Can you not respect that?"

When he heard her sniffle from behind, his heart sank. _Damn it._ He hadn't intended to make her cry.

"Do you really hate me that much?"

The absurdity of her question prompted him to turn and face her. "I could never hate you. You're my daughter. I'll always love you, no matter what."

"You're still disappointed in me, though," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Wow, she really was just like him—sensitive to a fault. "Yeah, I am. There's a reason your mother and I told you to keep this quiet. Someone could get hurt. I'm sure you're aware of that now."

"You won't let him die, will you?"

He didn't think it was possible to hear a more insulting question leave his daughter's lips. Did she really view him as someone with such a cold heart? "No, I'm not gonna let him die. You really think I'd do that?"

"I'm sorry. It's just—I really love him."

"I can see that. I'm just concerned." With a heavy sigh, he looked up at the sky as he prepared to choose his words wisely. "You know, your mother and I were barely twenty when we had you and your brother."

"Oh, Dad—No! Please stop!" Even the shadows of the night couldn't hide the embarrassing blush lighting up her cheeks. She looked completely mortified.

"Look, being a parent is a huge responsibility. One you're certainly not ready for. You're only seventeen. Just use some common sense, please. And that's all I'll say on the matter."

The awkward silence following his lecture was short lived when a bright light flashed in the distance over the ocean, drawing his attention. At first, he thought an unexpected storm had rolled in, but when he spotted a purple beam of light flowing out of the clouds into the sea, he knew it was no bizarre weather system.

"What on Spira is that thing?" Trista asked in awe.

Tidus' eyes stayed glued on the mysterious beam, sensing a malevolent force behind it. "I dunno, but it can't be good."

Whatever had produced the strange phenomenon must've ceased from how quickly the light had faded, returning the sky and sea to its previous tranquil state.

"Maybe we should go out there and investigate," Trista suggested.

"No, that's foolish! Never dive head first into anything without taking precautions." Great, now he was starting to sound like Auron.

"Aren't you at all curious?"

"Our curiosity can wait until morning. We're not going out there tonight. So, get it outta your head."

"But, Dad—"

"I said, NO! Besides, after everything that's happened, I thought you'd wanna check on… _your boyfriend_." Those last two words were almost painful for him to spit out. He was certain they sounded bitter as well from the way his daughter huffed and rolled her eyes before walking away. At least he managed to direct her attention elsewhere. The last thing he needed was her charging out to sea and into whatever trouble lurked in its depths.

With a heavy sigh, he followed his daughter inside the house and prepared for what would surely be a sleepless night.


	13. Eclipse

**Chapter 13**

Trista peered out of her bedroom window at where the mysterious light had appeared over the sea. Her father's reluctance to investigate the strange phenomenon infuriated her. It always had to be his way or no way at all. She sensed there was something significant remaining in those waters. Whatever was out there she doubted it would still be there in the morning. There had to be some way of getting out to that spot without alerting her parents.

A loud knock abruptly put an end to her current plotting. With a dejected sigh, she hurried over to the door in her darkened room and poked her head outside.

"May I come in?" her mother asked.

The soft tone of her mother's voice suggested she had calmed down from earlier. However, the serious look on her face led Trista to believe she was about to receive another lecture, regardless. "Dad already laid into me earlier. Do you really need to add to it?"

"Your father wants me to talk to you about something."

And she knew exactly what it was in regards to—her relationship with Vadina. "C'mon, Mom," she groaned. "We had this talk a few years ago. Dad even mentioned something outside."

"This has nothing to do with you and Vadina. And while I do think we should have a talk about that sometime it can wait for now."

Surprised by her mother's response, Trista stepped aside and allowed her to pass into the room, now curious of the subject her mother wanted to discuss. "What's this about then?"

"It's about these new powers of yours." Her mother sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed a hand over the purple comforter, something Trista recognized as a sign of uneasiness. "What exactly did you feel when you summoned Leviathan or cast one of those force spells?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in her mother's voice, which only confirmed Trista's suspicion. "Why doesn't Dad just talk to me about this? You're obviously not comfortable with it."

"He feels you'll be more open with me, considering the tension between you two."

She couldn't argue that point. Her father had made his displeasure with her abundantly clear earlier. And she wasn't exactly thrilled with his decisions on some things either. "Fine," Trista muttered, reaching for the switch on the wall to turn on the lights.

"Wait, stop!" Yuna cried.

Startled by her mother's sudden outburst, Trista flinched and quickly withdrew from her task. "Geez Mom. What's the big deal?"

"I have a migraine. The lights will only make it worse. I need to be able to focus while discussing this with you."

It must have been a doozy of one for her mother to panic at the idea of the room being lit. Her reaction seemed a bit excessive, but nevertheless, Trista honored her request. "Okay, no lights. So…you want me to describe what I feel when using these powers?"

"Would that be, alright?"

If only it were so simple. Struggling to find a way to articulate those feelings with words, Trista shut her eyes and tried to recall what she had felt when summoning Leviathan. "It's kinda like something inside me just turns on. I get overwhelmed with several emotions all at once."

"You don't know where it stems from?"

"The sea, I guess. Every time I think of the water, it calls to me. I'm drawn to it. I dunno if that makes sense."

"Oh, it makes perfect sense."

Trista's eye's snapped open. The tone of her mother's voice sounded strange. It seemed almost dark. Goosebumps popped up on her skin as she shivered from the uncomfortable vibe in the room. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"Nothing. Sorry, this migraine is pretty intense. How long do you think it'll be before you can control Leviathan?"

How was she supposed to know? She had only succeeded in summoning the primal earlier today. Using it in battle would be another task altogether. "I dunno. I'm gonna need time to figure things out."

"We don't have time on our side. Spira's keepers need to be eliminated as soon as possible. I don't think you understand the urgency here."

Was she for real? After what happened to Vadina today, she knew all too well what was at stake. A familiar flush burned her cheeks, perturbed by her mother's audacity. "People could die! I realize that! It's not like I can just snap my fingers and make this happen! You of all people should understand."

"I'm sorry. You're right. I didn't mean to upset you." Her mother rose to her feet and gave her a forced smile. "I should let you get some sleep. You'll need your strength." She then breezed past her out the door, gently shutting it as she left.

Well, that was certainly weird. She hadn't expected her mother to give in and end the conversation so easily. Relieved to be rid of her mother for the night, Trista exhaled heavily and sat on the edge of her bed. The whole conversation seemed rather odd. It was evident her mother was stressed out, from her bizarre behavior, right up to how mechanical she sounded before she left. Obviously, her whole family was on edge.

Before she could resume plotting her escape from the house, another knock came at the door. Why couldn't they leave her alone? Groaning in annoyance, she dragged herself over to the door and reluctantly opened it.

When she found her mother standing outside, yet again, she was a bit surprised. "I thought we were finished?"

"Not sure what that's supposed to mean, but I'm here to set some ground rules since Vadina will be staying with us for a while."

Now she was really confused. "I thought you said we'd discuss this another time. That it's not important right now."

The unamused look her mother gave in return signified her patience was wearing thin. "I'm in no mood to play games with you, tonight."

Was this some kind of joke? "I'm not the one playing games. You were just in my room asking me questions about my powers."

Considering how quickly the color drained from her mother's face, ensured the next words leaving her lips would not be something Trista was prepared to hear. "That's impossible. I've been talking with your father and Vadina in the dining room for the past hour."

And she was correct in her assumption. A chill ran up her spine. It made sense now. The strange behavior and freaking out over the lights; it hadn't been her mother in her room moments ago. Just who or what had she been talking to? "I-It looked like you. Had your voice, aside from—"

"How long ago was this?"

"Not long, like—" Trista paused as a feeling of dread gripped her soul. Empty. She suddenly felt empty. Something was wrong. It felt like part of her was missing. Her eyes widened, now realizing what she was sensing. "Zak!"

Trista pushed past her mother and raced down the hall, pausing briefly at the door to her brother's room before charging inside. The moon cast a dim light on the bed where the sheets were twisted and an impression lay on one of the pillows, confirming what she had feared—Zak was gone.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she quivered from the emotional release quaking through her body. She dropped to her knees, sobbing as she stared at her twin's empty bed. It was as if someone had ripped part of her soul from her body, leaving behind a blackened void. They still had over three weeks left. None of these keepers were true to their word. It was all a game to them. And her brother was now being used as a pawn for Zanarkand's side. Finally, it all added up—the mysterious light at sea, the thing pretending to be her mother—one of Zanarkand's keepers came to collect her twin. And they succeeded by distracting her.

"Tris, he could've snuck out for the night." Her mother knelt beside her and gripped her shoulders, clearly fighting tears of her own. "You two are known for doing stuff like that."

"No, Mom, he's gone. I can feel it. They took him."

"Don't say that!"

"I-I'm sorry. I should've known it wasn't you." Trista sniffled. "It's all my fault."

Whatever hope her mother had been holding onto must've finally slipped away from the way her face crumpled into a mournful expression with tears sliding down her cheeks. In the next instant, she was in her mother's warm embrace being gently rocked back in forth in a soothing manner. "You're not to blame for this. I can assure you that."

Her mother's words offered her little comfort. If she had just followed her gut and turned on the lights, maybe her brother would still be there. What exactly would've happened had she turned on the lights? None of it mattered now. Zak was gone. Nothing was going to change that. Sinking back into despair, she joined in with her mother, weeping over their loss.


	14. Dim Days of Dolor

**Chapter 14**

It was well-known twins shared a spiritual connection and could sense when the other was in trouble, or had even died, which is why Tidus had no reason to doubt his daughter's intuition. Zanarkand's keepers had taken his son.

He had been sitting at the dining table giving Vadina the 'concerned parent talk' when he had heard his wife and daughter's anguished cries. At first, he thought it was just his daughter throwing a temper tantrum over the new house rules, but he quickly learned it was far worse than he could've ever imagined. Another promise broken. He couldn't protect his son.

Sitting on a crate in the dusty confines of his attic with the only light emitting from a single bulb swaying above his head, he rummaged through a metal trunk, searching for his old weapons. He wanted to cry so badly. He wanted to hold his wife and daughter and share in their weeping, but he had to be the pillar holding up what was left of his broken family, if they were going to get through this. Instead of being consumed by grief, he channeled the one emotion he felt was a suitable replacement—pure rage.

He smiled when he spotted his blue brotherhood sword, envisioning the blade severing off the head of that child-like demon who had turned his life into a living hell. Yes, rage was a beautiful thing, along with the type of courage it provided. He no longer feared dying or cared what anyone thought of him. All he could think about was snuffing out the lives of those twisted evil bastards that called themselves the fayth.

Carefully retrieving his sword out of the trunk, he set it on his lap and ran his fingers along the cool glowing blade. He was going to slaughter those keepers and get his son back. After all, Nymeia was god, right? There had to be some way to convince her to bring his son home.

The creaking sound of someone ascending the steps interrupted his murderous thoughts. He was really in no mood for any company.

"Tidus?"

He kept his eyes glued on his sword, refusing to meet his wife's gaze—afraid seeing the sorrow in them may cause his resolve to crumble. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing for battle, what else?"

"We just lost our son."

The anguish in her voice was soul crushing. "He's not dead, Yuna. He's in Zanarkand."

"He's not in this world anymore, so it's almost—"

"Don't say it!" he snapped. "It's not even close to the same thing."

"You need to grieve. Have you even cried yet?"

It already felt like his heart had been torn out of his chest and shredded into tiny bits. Her persistence on the matter was only making things worse, adding guilt to the equation. "Crying won't bring him back. Killing those twisted keepers…now that…that's our only hope in seeing our son again."

"Maybe…Maybe we should side with Zanarkand, after all."

Her shocking suggestion prompted him to snap his head up and look her in the eye. She looked broken, but serious, no less. "After ridiculing me for two days, you're suddenly all for this?"

"Things have changed. They have our son now."

"What about the rest of Spira? You're willing to sacrifice an entire civilization?"

"I've sacrificed enough for Spira!" she hollered, slamming her fist against the wall. "What about my happiness? I want my son back! I want my life back! If Spira has to burn to the ground for that to happen, then so be it!"

To say he was stunned would be an understatement. He never expected to hear those words leave her lips. She was clearly lashing out in her grief-stricken state. "C'mon Yuna, you don't really mean that. We have a chance to liberate this realm. We shouldn't dismiss it."

An anguished expression returned to her beautiful face. "Why," she sobbed, "why did you have to make a deal with them?"

Her words acted like a sword being thrust through his chest. Finally, the truth came out. She really did blame him. And what was worse, she was correct in doing so. Whatever was holding his resolve together finally came unglued. The sword slipped off his lap and fell to the wooden floor with a thud. Unable to contain his grief any longer, he buried his face into his hands and burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

The floorboards creaked along with the padded sound of his wife's light footsteps approaching. He wanted to be left alone. After all, he felt he deserved it.

Her tiny fingers pried his hands away from his face, forcing him to look in her the eye as she crouched in front of him. "That wasn't fair of me. It's was the pain talking."

Fighting to regain his composure, he drew in a quick breath and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You're right to blame me. I should've told you the truth that morning. None of this would've happened then."

"You don't know that. Something else could've happened instead. Maybe something worse, we don't' know."

Her attempt to console him wasn't working. The truth hurt. Sending his father to negotiate with Zanarkand's keepers had only made the situation worse. He could no longer deny it. His son was gone as a result. "Look, I screwed up, big time. I own it. I promised to keep our son safe and I failed. But, I swear to you, Yuna, I'll do whatever it takes to bring him home. Whatever it takes."

"I know you will," she said, caressing his cheek. "We both will."

Reaching down between them, he retrieved his sword and set it back on his lap. "We need to prepare…tonight."

His wife's eyes slightly widened at his suggestion. "What do you mean, tonight?"

"We can't afford to wait any longer." Gripping the hilt of his sword in his right hand, he stood and helped his wife to her feet. "I plan on ending this tomorrow."

"You don't even know how to use these powers yet. And Tris, she only summoned Leviathan earlier today."

"Which is why we're going to Baaj Temple tonight to train."

"That place has been condemned for years. It's a hot spot for fiends!"

"Exactly! It's the perfect training ground. If we can't take out the fiends there then we might as well surrender to those demons."

Yuna frowned. "We should give this some more thought. We really have no idea what we're up against when it comes to those keepers."

"The longer we wait, we risk something else going wrong. You know as well as I do, Vadina will be next. Only there'll be no way to bring him back. He'll be dead. Explain that to Wakka and Lulu. And if that's not enough to convince you, every day Zak spends in Zanarkand, lessens our chances of him returning home. He'll merge with that realm instead. I'm gonna be honest, I dunno what the time frame for that is. Bahamut didn't exactly elaborate. Do you wanna take that risk as well?"

"I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"Guess we'll find out soon enough."

With no time to waste, Tidus hurried down the steps into the hall then made his way over to the living room where his daughter sat curled up against Vadina on the sofa, clearly still upset from the tears staining her cheeks.

"Look alive kids, we've got work to do." Undoubtedly, his words were insensitive in regards to the situation, but his daughter wallowing in grief and self-pity wasn't going to change anything.

The glower she gave in return, only confirmed her irritation with him. "What's with you?"

"We're heading out to Baaj Temple to train."

His daughter's eyes grew wide as she sat up straight. "Tonight? Are you crazy?!"

"Your father plans to battle Spira's keepers tomorrow."

"That's insane! I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"Well, you're gonna learn tonight," Tidus insisted.

Trista looked completely dumbfounded with her eyes darting around and her mouth slightly ajar. "I—I can't. How can I concentrate? I just lost my twin!"

"And that's why we need to do this. The faster we end this, the sooner he'll return home."

"How do you know that? Killing Spira's keepers won't bring my brother back. He's in Zanarkand."

"We'll have an audience with a god. I'm sure they can make it happen. I'll do whatever I have to in order to convince Nymeia to do so."

"And if you can't?"

Failure was not an option. He wouldn't even entertain the thought. There had to be some way for Nymeia to understand his pain, even a god had to have feelings. After all, he was her kin, which meant she had to be in love with a human at least once during her existence.

"Tris, maybe you should trust your dad on dis," Vadina suggested. "He makes a valid point. One I happen to agree with."

The disapproving glare his daughter shot Vadina almost made him chuckle. It reminded him of the first quarrel he had with Yuna. "You can't be serious? You're all crazy! We're gonna get ourselves killed!"

"Says the girl who wanted to rush out into the sea earlier tonight and investigate a strange light." He couldn't help but get that little dig in on her. And honestly, it was the best way to prove his point.

With a dejected sigh, she folded her arms over her chest. "And how are we gonna get out there? It's not like we can get an airship ride to a condemned temple."

An amused smile spread across his lips when he envisioned the look on his daughter's face once he voiced his proposal. "I was thinking we'd hitch a ride on the back of that summon of yours."

And her reaction didn't disappoint, looking at him as if he had grown two extra heads. "You wanna ride Leviathan out to those ruins?! Now I know you've lost your mind."

"Can I be the voice of reason for a moment?" Yuna interjected.

"Yes, please!" Trista implored.

"I know this all sounds risky, and it is, but we have to act now before these keepers learn what we're plotting. They're not playing games. Both sides have already proven that. Do we really want to chance them growing even more desperate? Too much is at stake…and we've already lost so much."

The mood of the room dropped to a somber one after his wife's little speech. He sensed his daughter would be a willing participant now from the sobering look in her eyes. Yuna certainly had that effect on people.

In an effort to ease the tension, he cleared his throat and turned his attention to the young man sitting beside his daughter. "How advanced are your black magic skills?"

Vadina seemed a little aloof by the question, now sitting up with his hands clamped between his knees. "I—uh—I guess they're average."

Honestly, he was quite surprised by the boy's answer. "Your mother is a world renown mage and you're only average?"

"Dad, seriously!" Trista chided.

Raising his sword slightly off the ground, he inspected the blade then studied Vadina's curious expression. "Maybe you'd fair better with something like this?"

"That's a cool lookin' sword."

A warm smile spread across his lips as he fondly remembered the day he received the weapon. "It's named, Brotherhood. Your father gave it to me when we embarked on Yuna's pilgrimage. I was about your age then…young and careless. I leaned quickly not to be, though. It was your Uncle Chappu's. Your father said I reminded him of his late younger brother. I guess that's why I became the proud owner of it."

"You guys were pretty close once, huh?"

Tidus rested the blade back on the carpet and exhaled heavily. "Yeah, until I pushed him away. Your father was like an older brother to me. I couldn't risk him learning the truth. So, I moved to Luca with Yuna and joined the Goers, knowing it would piss him off. But I knew that wouldn't be enough. I had to rub it in or else he'd be around all the time and eventually get mixed up in all this…like you are now."

"Wait, so you did it to protect him?" Vadina asked, surprised.

"I owed him and your mother that much. I think this belongs to you now," Tidus said, offering the sword to the young man. "He'd want you to have it."

The stunned look on Vadina's face was priceless. It was the kind of expression he expected to see if he were the winner of a sphere break tournament. Grabbing the sword by the hilt, the young man rose to his feet and inspected the blue blade with a lopsided grin. "Very cool, Mr. T."

Cringing at the awful nickname, Tidus waved an accusing finger at the ginger haired Besaidian. "If I ever hear you call me that again, I'm gonna have to tackle you to the ground."

"Alright, I hear ya," Vadina said, holding a hand up in defense.

His daughter's face brightened. "Thanks, Daddy."

"Don't mention it."

"That was very gracious of you," Yuna whispered as she ran a gentle hand down his arm.

"He's gonna need it more than I will. It's not like we can leave him here with Bahamut gunning for him. I just hope he doesn't get himself killed in the process."

"We should head out back, so Tris can summon that thing," Yuna suggested.

Tidus nodded in agreement. "Alright you two, let's get moving. We've got some training to do."


	15. Devil & The Deep Dark Ocean

**Chapter 15**

Riding a giant sea serpent had to have been the coolest thing Tidus had ever done. It certainly beat his first shoopuf ride by a wide stretch. Yuna, however, looked like she was going to be sick the entire trip. During the second trimester of her pregnancy, she had developed intolerance for sea travel. It lessened after she gave birth, but unfortunately, never went away completely. Of course, Trista being a novice at summoning hadn't helped either. Navigating the dark waters during the night was no easy task in itself, trying to do so by relaying telepathic directions to a fast moving summon had made it even more challenging. And it showed by all the quick jerking motions Leviathan had done with it even taking them for a dive under the water at one point. Thankfully, no one had lost their grip during the incident.

In what should've taken hours by boat, took only less than an hour on the speedy summon. The ruins of the sunken temple came into view as Leviathan slowed, but it wasn't the broken pillars or the debris floating in the water that stood out; it was the plethora of pyreflies swarming the area.

"Wow, dis place looks like the Farplane," Vadina said in a wary tone.

"It's just normal fiends, right?" Trista asked. "I mean, it's a lot of them, but nothing out of the ordinary?"

Tidus contemplated keeping his mouth shut on why he had chosen this particular location, but quickly dismissed the idea when he realized just how inexperienced both his daughter and Vadina were at battling fiends. "That's not entirely accurate."

"Dammit, Tidus. What are you hiding now?"

"Do you remember hearing reports about a dragon flying over this temple at night?"

Yuna snickered. "Those weren't reports. It was an old tale. I heard of it when I was little."

"It's not a myth, I can assure you," he insisted.

"Really? As I seem to recall, you were trapped in this temple almost twenty years ago when you first came to Spira. Did you see this dragon then?"

"No, but your buddy Baralai has," Tidus retorted with a smug grin. "It's why this place was condemned by Bevelle in the first place."

That wiped the smirk off her face. "And he told you this?"

"Nah, I got curious after I decked him one day in his office. So, I snooped around for a bit while he was knocked out. And not only did I find reports on this dragon, but saw a recent sphere recording of it. Besides, this isn't the legend you were told about when you were a kid, Yuna. It's a recent monster arena creation gone wrong."

"How come you didn't tell me this before?"

"You never asked."

"Wonderful," Vadina muttered. "So, you're gonna have us fight dis thing no one's been able to kill?"

"That's the plan."

"Just how exactly do we find this dragon, Dad?"

"Well, according to the reports I read, a strong containment spell was cast on it a few years ago, confining it to certain perimeters around this location. I'm guessing we'll be a nice change from the usual fiends on the menu."

Yuna groaned. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

As much as he had been trying to keep the mood light, slaying this fiend wasn't a joke. "Keep in mind this dragon is only practice. If we struggle too much with it…well, I don't even wanna speculate on how tomorrow will end in that case."

The blue serpent steered over to one of the cement slabs poking out of the water, which Tidus believed had once been some structural part of the temple. Leaping off the summon onto the solid surface, he motioned for the others to join him while he studied what would be their rather complex battlefield. There were two more cement slabs—slightly larger than the one where he stood—one to the left and another to the right, both of which had stone debris arranged in an ascending formation, leading up onto what looked like cement beams overhead. This was definitely going to be tricky to maneuver on.

"What if this dragon of yours doesn't show up, tonight, Tidus?"

Just then, something huge whooshed overhead and briefly eclipsed the moon's soft light. Leviathan let out a shrieking sound, alerting them of the immediate danger.

It was one thing to see this monstrous creature in a sphere recording and another altogether to lay eyes on it in the flesh. It was enormous, rivaling the size of almost any airship in Spira. The massive webbed wings attached to its black scaly form, flapped in long strokes, making a strong downdraft with each perfectly timed motion. Steam puffed out of its snout as its amber eyes carefully inspected them—undoubtedly, choosing who it would devour first. Suddenly, he felt foolish for not bringing Excalibur with him for this excursion.

"M-Maybe we should rethink this," Trista suggested. "Leviathan is super-fast. We can still turn back and go home."

"There won't be any turning back tomorrow." Tidus studied his daughter's frightened expression and ran a soothing hand down her arm. "You need to believe in yourself and have a little faith. Trust me, it goes a long way."

"Your father's, right," Yuna indicated. "Concentrate and don't let your fear consume you."

"I don't wanna die, Daddy."

"No one's gonna die, tonight. Just that dragon over there."

"How can ya be so sure?" Vadina asked, skeptically.

"I won't allow it." And he intended to keep his promise.

"We should spread out," Yuna proposed. "If we stay like this much longer it'll charge right at us."

Tidus nodded then turned his attention to his daughter and the young man standing next to her. "You two are inexperienced in battle. We'll need to pair up accordingly. Vadina, go with Yuna. And you, come with me."

Before his wife could leap over to the stone surface on the left, he gently grabbed her by the arm and gave her a look of concern. "Be careful."

"I'm more worried about you. Your black magic skills are horrible and you didn't even bring a sword for backup."

"I'm certain I can channel that magic again. And if not…well, I'm in the presence of an exceptional mage whose excels in both black and white magic."

Her intense glare led him to believe she was anything but amused by his last comment. "Get serious!" she said in a harsh whisper, before leaving to join Vadina.

The snarling dragon had clearly grown agitated by their sudden movements, snapping its massive jaw at his wife, who skillfully dodged the attack with a roll over to the ascending stone debris.

With his pulse pounding in his ears, Tidus tapped his daughter on the shoulder and motioned with a nod over to the other platform. "C'mon, those rocks on the other side will give us a better vantage point to attack from."

"I dunno if I can do this," Trista whined.

Growing impatient with his daughter's negativity, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her along. "This is no time to get cold feet. That dragon has set its sights on your mother and Vadina. We're the ones who need to prove ourselves tonight, not them."

Pausing briefly before climbing the stone debris, he glanced over his shoulder to check on how his wife and the young man with her were fairing against the enormous beast—from the looks of things, not too well. Yuna had managed to maneuver herself onto the top of the ascending debris with Vadina close behind when the dragon closed in on them, steam billowing out of its nostrils as if it were a volcano about to erupt.

With a valiant effort, the young man swung his sword at the creature's snout and missed, staggering back a few steps while trying to regain his balance. A deafening roar escaped the dragon, signifying it was quickly losing its patience with its potential meal.

When the monstrous creature abruptly pulled away from its prey, Tidus sensed it was preparing to barbecue them with its flaming breath. And that wasn't going to happen on his watch. A familiar burning sensation rushed through his body. His hands tingled and his fingers twitched. Before the dragon could unleash its fiery attack, a blast of light shot out of Tidus' palm and exploded against the creature's left wing, setting it ablaze.

The enormous fiend shrieked in pain, landing in the water with a giant splash.

Without a second to lose, Tidus hoisted himself onto the stone structure then extended a hand out to his daughter and pulled her up onto the same platform. "Now would be the perfect time to use that summon of yours!"

Trista nodded and gracefully fanned a hand out toward the majestic serpent that was sloshing around in the water. Its frantic movements suddenly came to a halt, indicating it was receiving some sort of commands from his daughter. And like a bullet ejected from the barrel of a gun, Leviathan shot forth, dodging the dragon's fiery breath by diving into the water. The blue serpent resurfaced behind the massive fiend, coiled its body around the dragon's tail, then finished its task by sinking its sharp teeth into the creature's black scales.

The dragon shrieked and flailed around in the water in an effort to toss the serpent off.

Just when things seemed to be going in their favor, Vadina decided to do something incredibly foolish. Tidus wasn't sure if it was due to a spike in testosterone from all the excitement, or eagerness to show off to his girl, but whatever the case, the young man had leapt down from the platform onto the dragon's head, ushering out some strange battle cry while doing so.

"Vadina!" Trista shouted.

"Don't lose your concentration!" And as he had feared, the young man's recklessness had distracted his daughter.

The dragon's tail violently swept up and flung Leviathan back out to sea.

With both hands, Vadina raised his sword above his head, clearly preparing to plunge the blade through the dragon's skull. Just as the blade began to fall, the fiend thrashed around and tossed the young man into the water.

The tide had turned. All it ever took was one stupid mistake to make a situation go horribly wrong—and Vadina had certainly found a way to make it happen. Tidus knew what would come next if he didn't act fast.

Yuna, however, had beaten him to the punch, slamming the dragon with a barrage of high level elemental spells, lighting up the area in what looked like a firework display from all the colorful blasts.

It seemed like his wife's plan to distract the dragon from Vadina had worked. The massive fiend snarled and charged at her with its jaw open wide. Yuna raced up the stone debris so fast, she stumbled and almost fell off the side as a result.

Spurring into action, Tidus unleashed a flurry of force spells at the dragon's backside, allowing his wife to escape up to the makeshift beams overhead. The fiend let out an agonizing wail as its tail burst into flames.

Clearly injured from the attack, the dragon's actions grew erratic, aimlessly snapping its jaw before breathing fire up at the sky. The flames, however, reached the beam his wife had taken refuge on, forcing her to dive into the water close to Vadina.

When Tidus spotted the dragon aim its open jaw at his wife, his heart all but ceased beating. No. He wasn't going to lose her, too. Everything was happening so fast, and yet, it seemed to play out in slow motion. He knew the dragon wouldn't be deterred from its task so easily this time. Every miserable and vicious emotion possible consumed him and coursed through his soul. The rubble on the opposite platform rumbled and shook. Before he could blink, the debris formed into a giant boulder and slammed into the dragon, knocking it on its side.

There weren't too many things which surprised him anymore, but manipulating those rocks to form into a giant mass sure had. And it wasn't so much what he had done that astonished him, but rather how he had accomplished it—out of desperation using sheer will.

"That was awesome!" Trista cried.

"Don't let your guard down. This isn't over yet." Tidus winced, realizing he sounded like Auron again. It was actually starting to drive him a little nuts at this point. "Besides, you haven't tapped into your powers enough. That won't be acceptable tomorrow."

"Dad, I'm trying!"

"Trying isn't good enough!"

Just then, the dragon flew up in the air and snatched Vadina up into one of its monstrous claws. "Tris!" he bellowed.

His daughter's eyes grew wide with horror. "No, no, no, VADINA!"

It became painfully apparent how much she loved the young man from how she trembled and burst into tears. Crying, however, wasn't going to help Vadina. He promised no one would die tonight and he intended to keep his word.

Gripping his daughter by the shoulders, he forced her to look him in the eye. "Hey—Hey, look at me! This isn't gonna help him, okay? I need you to focus! Vadina needs you to focus!"

"I—I can't!" she sobbed.

"You have to, Tris. Your mother and Vadina are counting on us."

"I'm sorry, I can't. I just can't."

At that moment, she reminded him of Yuna and how negative her thought process had been during her pilgrimage. Well, it certainly made sense now as to where she got it from. The tears, though, that was all him. And then, it finally dawned on him. The time for coddling was over. She needed the same tough love his father had bestowed upon him. "Get a grip! Vadina is about to become that dragon's midnight snack!"

The shock and hurt on her face almost made him lose his nerve. "Why are you being this way?" she whined.

It was time for him to take a chance on a gut feeling he had, especially for Vadina's sake. Those deep emotions he'd experienced moments ago had elicited a powerful response out of him and he suspected his daughter may have a similar experience. After all, he had plan, but he needed her help for it to come to fruition. "Command a giant wave to come this way!"

"What—how?! I can't!"

Vadina's frightened cries grew louder as the dragon let out a ferocious roar and tightened its grip around his body. "Help! It's crushin' me!"

"Do it now, Tris! Or Vadina will die!"

His daughter hesitantly turned to look out at the sea with a mixture of fear and determination in her eyes. The water sloshed around, but nothing more. Not the response he had hoped for. She definitely needed more urging. "Do you hear him screaming?! He's gonna die!"

The look on her face grew more determined and less fearful. Tiny waves began to roll in. An improvement, no less, yet still not what was needed.

"Someone, help me!" Vadina hollered.

"C'mon, Tris! You're not gonna let your _lover_ die, are you?!" Now that was excruciating for him to force from his lips and it sounded quite venomous as well.

"Tidus, what the hell are you doing?!"

 _Dammit._ He had almost forgotten about his wife and the essential role she had to play in his plan. "Yuna, get outta the water!"

"Vadina needs our help!"

"I know! I'm working on it! I'm gonna need you to cast a blizzara spell at something when I say!"

"At what?"

"Just trust me!"

"Will no one help me!?" Vadina bellowed.

The tiny waves began to recede. She was losing focus again and Vadina was clearly running out of time. "Your brother's gone! Do you want Vadina to be next!?"

His daughter's expression turned furious, resulting in larger waves. His stomach twisted in knots. There wasn't much time left before the dragon either chose to fly off with the young man, or crush him instead. With that in mind, he decided to say the unthinkable in a last ditch effort to push his daughter over the edge. "Your brother is gone because of you! Are you gonna fail Vadina, too?! His death will be on you! It'll be, ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The ground rumbled and quaked under his feet. In an effort to avoid falling, he leaned against a ravaged pillar beside him and gripped it tightly. A fierce scowl crossed his daughter's face as her eyes flashed with rage—exactly the kind of reaction he had been hoping for.

The water surrounding the battered temple drained as it receded out into the sea, forming into an impressive tsunami. From the rate at which the wave was barreling toward the ruins, he had little time to work at bending it to his will. He had one shot. He couldn't afford to mess it up. Concentrating on the body of water, he imagined the one thing he believed would send the dragon straight to its doom. The monstrous wave began to take form, bubbling and shifting into a gigantic rippling spear.

"Yuna, now!"

An icy blast struck the water, freezing the formation into what looked like a massive crystal lance. The unique looking weapon whizzed through the air. By the time the dragon noticed the water had turned into a deadly projectile, it was already too late. The icy spear plunged into the fiend's chest with such force it pieced through to the other side.

Just in the nick of time, the sea returned, flooding around the ancient ruins as Vadina slipped out of the dragon's grasp and hit the water with a splash. The vile fiend plummeted from the sky and crashed onto the sunken temple before bursting into a plume of pyreflies.

Tidus sank to his knees, breathing heavily from his efforts. His daughter looked drained as well from the way she was gasping for air, but it was hard to tell from her menacing expression. "You did good, kid. I'm proud of you."

"I hate you."

Not the response he wanted to hear. Then again, he had uttered some pretty harsh words in an effort to arouse her powers. "I don't blame you for what happened to Zak. That's my fault. I said all those things knowing it would upset you. It was the only way to save Vadina."

"No, it wasn't. You could've done something like you did to protect Mom. You just wanted me to unlock my powers."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was accurate with her accusation. Tomorrow would not be the day to experiment. He did what he had to do. "It worked, did it?"

"Vadina could've died!"

"I went with my gut. It never steered me wrong before."

Trista scoffed. "Like you followed your _gut_ when you sided with Zanarkand's keepers?"

She really hit below the belt with that remark. "Actually, no, I followed my heart on that one."

Judging from the way she rolled her eyes and stormed off toward the young man now sitting on a pile of debris, she was more interested in reuniting with Vadina than hearing him elaborate. Of course, it didn't surprise him any. He was no longer the leading man in his daughter's life—a reality he was struggling to accept.

"Tidus, are you alright?"

Having been so engrossed with his daughter's activities, he hadn't even noticed his wife approaching. "I'm fine, aside from our daughter hating me," he said, climbing to his feet.

"Well, you did say some pretty nasty things. I understand why you did it, though. She'll get over it."

At least Yuna wasn't tearing into him about his methods. Just then, she shivered and rubbed her arms. His poor wife was soaking wet and it wasn't the warmest night of the summer either. "C'mere," he said, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "You had me worried there. I thought I was gonna lose you."

"It's gonna take more than some ol' dragon to break you free of these chains."

Her witty comment made him chuckle. He really had rubbed off on her over the years. "Believe me when I say I'm not interested in severing any chains tied to you. I'm just glad you're alright."

"That was an impressive display you and Tris put on," she said, pulling back to look him in the eye.

"Yeah well, hopefully it's enough for what we face tomorrow."

The smile on her face had quickly faded, surely from remembering what was at stake. "We should get the kids and head home. We're gonna need our rest."

With a nod, he followed his wife over to the stone platform where his daughter lay flat on her stomach, helping Vadina fish his sword out of the water as Leviathan stood guard.

For some reason, watching the young couple intent on their task reminded him of what he would be fighting for tomorrow—his family and friends. Ever since he was left orphaned in Zanarkand, he yearned to fill that void with a family of his own. He never thought it was possible until he had met Yuna. She loved him unequivocally and provided him with the family he longed for more than anything else in the world. Those keepers ripped his son from him, the same way they had ripped his father away from him when he was a child. Zanarkand, Spira, it didn't matter. Those keepers were all the same soulless creatures pretending to be gods. He was no longer a frightened little boy with a chip on his shoulder. They weren't getting his family this time. Tomorrow, they'll be the ones who cease to exist.


	16. Ever Dream

**Chapter 16**

The ride home on Leviathan had been considerably less turbulent than the journey to the ruins. His daughter had finally grown accustomed to controlling the serpent and seemed to do so with ease. After vanquishing such a beast, he assumed it would generate quite an animated conversation, however, no one spoke of the battle at the sunken temple—or at all really, until they arrived home.

Drake burgers seemed to be a fitting late night meal. And with Darling's Delicious Burgers offering swift twenty-four hour delivery service, it wasn't long before they had some fat juicy drake patties to sink their teeth into. He really hadn't eaten much over the past couple days and it had begun to take its toll, leaving him more fatigued than normal—then again, he had just helped slaughter a massive dragon.

Stuffing the crumpled wrapper from his burger into the empty bag, he leaned back in his seat and watched his daughter fuss over her boyfriend at the dining table. Luckily for Vadina, the dragon hadn't crushed any of his bones, but his occasional wincing indicated he was still sore from the whole ordeal.

"I'm fine, Tris, really."

"You should've been resting, not out there fighting a dragon." His daughter shot him an icy glare, obviously displeased by his earlier insistence on Vadina joining them in training.

"We've already been over this, sweetheart. It's too dangerous for him to be alone."

"Which is why I should stay near Vadina, tonight."

"No. Absolutely not." Had he known his words would be used against him, he would've phrased them differently.

"Your father and I already agreed on the sleeping arrangements. This is not up for debate."

"We'll stay on the sofa with the lights on," Trista suggested. "Trust me, I don't wanna turn off the lights after what happened earlier tonight."

Man was she persistent. Another dominant trait she had inherited from both him and his wife. "We're all staying under the same roof. He won't be alone."

"We were all here earlier when Zak was taken," she retorted.

Her words were like a slap in the face. And what was worse, he couldn't argue them. At this point, he was already exhausted with no desire to expel any more energy fighting his daughter on the issue. With an exasperated sigh, he stood and gave her a stern look. "See to it those lights stay on. And don't forget how good my hearing is."

Trista scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Heading to bed?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll be up soon."

With a nod, he retreated down the hall and made his way up into the bedroom, lit by only the soft glow of the crescent moon. As he prepared for bed, he thought about all the grief he had caused Auron back in Zanarkand with his wild ways. This must've been how the legendary guardian had felt when his warnings fell on deaf ears. In a lot of respects, Auron had been a father to him. Maybe that's why he sounded so much like him as he aged. Deep down, he loved and respected the man—something he never expected to admit to himself.

The moment he climbed under the covers, his wife entered the room and gently shut the door. "I didn't think you'd be in bed already."

"What should I be doing, then?"

"Sorry, I guess I expected you to be brooding by the window or something."

An amused smile inched across his lips. He had habit of doing that, didn't he? "Nah, I'm too tired to stand by the window. Much more comfortable to brood in bed."

"I gave those two a blanket and a pillow from the spare room," she uttered, before disappearing into the bathroom. And that was all he heard. Whatever she had said after came as muffled garbles through the partially open door.

When Yuna emerged from the bathroom in her nightdress, she froze in the doorway and gasped as if she had just made a startling discovery. "The crystal! Do you still have it?"

Crap, he had totally forgotten about it. Sitting up, he peered over the side of the bed and searched for where he had tossed his clothes. "It was in the back pocket of my jeans."

"Let's hope it's still there after being tossed around and thrown in the water." Yuna bent down at the foot of the bed and resurfaced holding the denim material. Her hand frantically invaded the pockets then froze.

He wasn't sure if that was a bad sign or not, until her hand re-emerged holding the red crystal between her thumb and index finger. Tidus pursed his lips and let out a low whistle. "That was a close call."

"We'll just put this over here," she said, carefully setting the ruby looking stone on the dresser.

Feeling more at ease, he settled on his side and snuggled against the pillow. "You think you'll be able to sleep tonight?"

"Probably not." Yuna joined him under the covers and rolled on her side facing him. "You?"

As anxious as he was for tomorrow to arrive, he knew they wouldn't be effective without adequate rest. "We need to try."

"I suppose."

From the way her face dropped and her eyes glossed over, he sensed she was about to break. He wasn't surprised. After all, her world had been turned upside down in a matter of days. Moving a stray hair out of her face, he lovingly stroked her cheek in an effort to console her. "It's gonna be okay. I swear to you."

"Don't. Please, don't make promises you can't keep."

The sorrow in her eyes tugged at his heart. "I intend to keep this one. After tomorrow, this realm will be free and we'll have our son home."

Her worried expression led him to believe she still had doubts. "Our son…he's all by himself there. What if something bad happens to him? What if—"

"I'm sure he's fine. Zanarkand isn't as dangerous as Spira. Besides, he looks an awful lot like me. I know there's at least one person there who will look out for him."

"You've been gone from there almost twenty years. Celebrity or not, no one's gonna care if some boy who looks like you is roaming the streets."

"That's not true. Trin will notice the resemblance and she'll believe his story."

Yuna frowned. "Who's Trin?"

One mention of a strange girl's name was all it took for Yuna's eyes to blaze with jealousy. This was exactly why he hadn't mentioned her to his wife before. He'll admit to having his fair share of jealous bouts, but Yuna was on a whole different level, banishing him to the guest bedroom in the past for just signing a girl's mid-drift. At first, he had found it cute and the ego boost from it was a bonus, but as the years rolled by it became just plain aggravating.

"She was my best friend in Zanarkand. The closest thing I had to a sister."

"If that's true, why haven't you mentioned her before?"

"I knew you'd jump to conclusions, like you are now."

Yuna rolled on her back and stared blankly up at the canopy. "You're sure she'll protect our son?"

"Without a doubt in my mind."

"What's she like?"

This was a switch. He anticipated for her to have one of her jealous fits. Had the circumstances been different, she probably would've. "Well, she was very opinionated, that's for sure. She didn't care what anyone thought of her or what came outta her mouth. Always told you like it is, whether you wanted to hear it or not. I really admired her for that."

"You said she was like a sister to you?"

"That's right."

"What made you two so close?"

"We were both orphaned at the age of seven. Her parents died in a fire. I guess we bonded over our loss. We were just a couple kids trying to find our way in the world. We had no real family left, so we made a blood pact."

Yuna turned and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "Do I even wanna know what that is?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. "We each sliced open the right palm of our hands and then clamped them together. Since we weren't related by blood, we improvised. After that we declared ourselves blood siblings."

Now it was Yuna's turn to chuckle. "Sounds like you both were crazy as well."

"You would've liked her. Like you, she loved the beach and had a fascination with seashells…even had a massive collection of them in her home."

"She sounds like a lot of fun." Yuna's smile suddenly faded. "She's the reason you chose to side with Zanarkand at first, am I right?"

 _Busted._ "I didn't wa—I _don't_ want anyone I love to die. Those keepers robbed me of a family growing up. And honestly, they did the same to you. I just want everyone I love together and safe."

"I can relate." Her eyes glossed over, once more. "I really hope we'll see our son again."

"C'mere," he said, pulling her into his arms. "I already told you, I'll do whatever it takes to bring him home."

Shifting in his arms, she gazed into his eyes with a worried expression. "I'm really afraid of what you mean by that. Please, promise me you won't do anything crazy tomorrow. I can't lose you, too."

"You're not gonna lose me, okay?" He pressed his lips against her forehead in a gentle reassuring kiss. "It's gonna be alright, you'll see."

"Promise me, Tidus."

The desperation in her voice made him uneasy. His wife never needed this much affirmation on anything. Obviously, she was more terrified about tomorrow than he realized. "Okay, I promise."

Her lips, ever so gently, brushed against his. Surprised by the gesture, he tried to pull away, but one of Yuna's hands had already made it to the back of his head, holding him captive. Normally, he'd be eager to reciprocate, but something about this felt inappropriate. Their son had been snatched from them only hours ago and Yuna was clearly distraught at the moment.

"Stop," he mumbled against her lips.

Either she hadn't heard him, or she flat out refused to from how she proceeded to softly caress his lips with her own. Suddenly, her feathery kisses came to a halt, but her lips stayed lightly touching his as she whispered, "Please."

His heart sank. She sounded so desperate. Clearly this was how she wanted to be comforted, tonight. And no matter if he chose to give in or stand his ground, he'd feel guilty either way.

When Yuna's lips melted onto his again, he abandoned his reservations and surrendered to her will. One tender kiss led to another, each one growing more passionate than the last. It wasn't until their sleepwear had made it off their bodies and onto the floor that he finally understood Yuna's logic. They had always unleashed all their frustrations this way. Why should this time be any different? Now, more than happy to oblige, he pressed his bare body against hers and allowed for their primal urges to take over. Whether it was romantic, lustful, or rough—in this case, a combination of all three—this was how they coped.


	17. Tides of Time

**Chapter 17**

A loud clap of thunder roused Trista from her slumber. The second a flash of lightning lit up the darkened room, she bolted up so fast, she slipped off the sofa where she had been snuggled against Vadina and fell onto the floor with a thud. Groaning from the impact, she scrambled to her feet and noticed it was much darker than normal. _The storm must've knocked out the power in the area._ "Vadina," she whispered, "you awake?"

His soft snores indicated otherwise. She wasn't surprised by his lack of response, her boyfriend had always been a sound sleeper—a bomb could go off and he'd sleep through it.

The rain pelted against the windows followed by another flash of lightning and boom of thunder. She hated storms ever since she was a little kid, but she had never been afraid of the dark until now. The ominous encounter she had earlier in her bedroom had produced a new phobia for her to recoil at.

Before she could rejoin her boyfriend under the blanket, a soft child-like voice came from behind, "Hello."

Trista froze. Every muscle in her body tensed, sensing whatever stood behind her wasn't as innocent as it sounded. She slowly turned to face the child-like apparition standing by the fireplace dressed in a purple cloak.

"Remember me? We met in Besaid the other day."

Her eyes widened when she finally realized who the intruder was—Bahamut. "Vadina, wake up! Mom! Dad!"

"They can't hear you."

The keeper's words had a chilling effect. She shivered and hugged her arms, terrified of facing the being on her own. "Please, don't hurt Vadina."

"I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm here to present an offer you can't refuse."

Whatever this keeper had to offer, she doubted it would be anything short of an ultimatum. "Like what?"

"This is a war, Trista. One you cannot comprehend. We know you're suffering. Your brother was taken by one of Zanarkand's keepers tonight. We can bring him back and make all of this go away."

All lies, no doubt. And she wasn't going to fall for any of it. There had to be some sort of catch. "Why would you do that? You threatened to kill everyone I love. You'll do anything to win this war."

"Precisely. And we need you to make it happen."

Now more confused than afraid, she folded her arms and frowned. "I don't follow."

"This entire realm's existence hinges upon your willingness to aid us. And the battle is growing near. Your family and Vadina can return to the blissful lives they led without any memory of this. It'll be like it never happened. We can do that. And we'll bring your brother home tonight, if you surrender your powers to us."

Nothing the keeper proposed made any sense. It all seemed too good to be true. "This is a war, like you said. How are we gonna just forget everything and go about our lives?"

"We need _you_ to win the war. Everyone else is unimportant. They won't remember anything about this. Even your father will forget of the meeting we had many years ago and return to believing he's a dream of the fayth. All you have to do is join us and surrender your physical form."

Her blood chilled at the keeper's suggestion. "That sounds an awful lot like dying."

Lightning flashed followed by a distant roll of thunder. The hooded apparition inched toward her, stopping only a couple feet away. "You'll no longer be in pain. Your family won't morn your loss. You'll be erased from their memory. Trista, they'll be happy and safe. Your father chose a similar path when he was your age. He was willing to do anything to protect those he loved. Will you not do the same?"

Somehow, she knew it would come to this. Furious at the being's proposition, she balled her hands into fists as a fiery rage pulsed through her body. "I'm not my father! You can shove your offer. The only people who are gonna die are you and the rest of Spira's keepers."

"I see. A foolish choice. It will be very difficult to accomplish your goal when you lose two more people you love. I'm sure you'll reconsider then."

The room lit up in a bright flash, stinging her eyes. When her vision returned she found herself lying snuggled in Vadina's arms as the bright rays of the morning sun shone through the windows.

Confused, she sat up and surveyed her surroundings. The living room lights were on and the windows were dry, showing no evidence of a recent storm. It had to have been a bad dream.

Just then, Vadina groaned and stretched. When his eyes fluttered open she wasted no time in greeting her lover with a warm smile. "Morning sexy."

Normally, he'd respond with his famous sexy grin, but something was wrong. He looked confused and a bit frightened. "D-Do I know ya?"

* * *

Tidus woke to a loud gasp and the covers almost being yanked off his body. Sensing his wife had been jostled awake from a bad dream, he sat up and ran a soothing hand down her back. "Hey, it's okay. I'm right here."

From the way she flinched at his touch indicated she hadn't become fully conscience of her surroundings yet. "Don't…please."

Not the response he had expected. His stomach twisted with dread. Something was off. It never took his wife this long to recover from a nightmare. The look of horror on her face as she sat clutching the sheets against her chest, all but confirmed his suspicion. "Yuna, what's wrong?"

"Tidus, is that you?"

Afraid he had somehow morphed into an ugly looking fiend overnight, he patted his face to make sure nothing felt out of place. "Did the keepers do something to me?"

"What's a keeper?"

Suddenly, looking like a heinous fiend would've been a welcomed surprise compared to the roadblock he currently faced. "Yuna…what's the last thing you remember?"

Her eyes darted around, avoiding his gaze. "Where are we? A-And where's our clothes?"

This was definitely not a good sign. He'd heard of rare cases where extreme levels of stress resulted in temporary short-term memory loss, but her response signified something far worse. "Please, answer my question. What's the last thing you remember?"

"We were on Cid's airship about to fight Sin."

His eyes slipped shut as he let out a long breath. This couldn't be happening. Almost twenty years of memory wiped. Nothing short of head trauma could've accomplished such an outcome. Then it dawned on him. Spira's keepers may be the culprits.

"Mom! Dad!"

Upon hearing his daughter's cries, he leapt out of bed and scurried around the room gathering his clothes off the floor. The deep blush on his wife's cheeks would've made him chuckle if the circumstances weren't so grim. "Get dressed," he demanded, zipping up the fly of his jeans. "Our daughter needs us."

"W-We have kids?"

The gravity of the situation hadn't struck him full force until now. Yuna really had no memory of the past nineteen years. A wave of nausea washed over him. They couldn't battle Spira's keepers like this. His wife was suddenly that naïve seventeen-year-old girl who revered the fayth as gods. "I know you're afraid and confused right now, but you're gonna have to trust me, okay? You've lost your memory. I'm gonna find a way to fix this. I promise. Just work with me here."

"Dad!"

"I'm coming!" After slipping a t-shirt on, he snatched the crystal off the dresser, stuffed the item into the back pocket of his jeans, and raced out the door.

When he arrived in the living room, his daughter rushed over from where she was sitting beside Vadina on the sofa. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Vadina. He doesn't even know who he is. The keepers did this! Bahamut was here last night. He said he was gonna take two more people away from me if I didn't give them my powers."

It felt like his gut had hit the floor. Those vile creatures would stop at nothing. They were growing desperate just like Thaliak warned. "You can't hand over you powers. It doesn't work that way. What did they want?"

"They wanted me to sacrifice myself. Doing so would grant them my powers. I don't understand it either. I refused and now this happened."

A cold chill passed through him upon hearing her words. "It's a good thing you refused."

At that moment, his wife entered the room and gasped upon laying eyes on their daughter. "You're so beautiful," she said, threading her fingers through a lock of her golden hair.

As expected, his daughter shot him the same questionable look she had last night when he'd suggested using Leviathan as a means of transportation. "Dad…what's wrong with Mom?"

"They got to her too."

"Mom doesn't know who we are?"

"She knows me. They failed at wiping her memory completely. The last thing she remembers is us preparing to fight Sin."

"I'm still in the room, you know," Yuna said, annoyed. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"First Zak, now this? Dad, what are we gonna do?"

It was as if the air in the room had thinned, making it difficult for him to breathe. He couldn't afford to have a panic attack now. Struggling to keep his breaths steady, he tried to think of a solution, but his mind was just too clouded.

"Can anyone tell me why I can't remember anythin'?" Vadina asked, craning his neck to look at them from the sofa.

Yuna clamped her hands together rather excitedly and shot a hopeful smile in the young man's direction. "Are you my son?"

"No, he's not your son!" Trista snapped. "Zak is and he's—"

"That's enough, Tris!" The release of frustration had somehow cleared his mind. Suddenly, he remembered a conversation he had with his wife years ago, about Lulu curing a young boy in Besaid with amnesia through some kind of ancient magic ritual. As much as he didn't want to involve her in this mess, she may be their only hope. "Get on the comsphere and call Lulu."

His daughter's eyes widened at his suggestion. "What—why?"

"I recall an incident where she cured someone of memory loss. If anyone can fix this, it's her."

"What do you want me to tell her exactly?"

"The truth. She needs to know everything. It's the only way."

"She's not gonna be happy with you," Trista warned.

"I know. Just do it, already. And stay with Vadina while doing so."

"Gotcha!"

"Yuna, come with me," he said, gently taking her by the hand and leading her to the dining room.

"Where are we going?"

"You're gonna need to sit down and have a drink before I tell you some things."

"I'd love a glass of berry juice," she said, eagerly.

It was actually heartbreaking to hear his wife speak with the mentality of a teenager. "A bottle of ale was what I had in mind."

Yuna giggled. "I don't drink, silly. And it's morning."

"You're thirty-six. You drink. And trust me, we're both gonna need one."

* * *

Almost three hours had passed since his daughter had spoken to Lulu. The ferry ride from Besaid never took anywhere near that long. It's not like he was looking forward to dealing with an angry mage, but rather eager for his wife's memory to return.

He had taken no pleasure in reiterating the situation to Yuna. This time he was a bit more selective of what he chose to disclose, leaving out the bit of him siding with Zanarkand in an effort to avoid a replay of her initial reaction. Oddly enough, she sat through everything rather calmly, looking confused as if his words had not sunk in. Which was fine by him, he wasn't sure he could handle anymore chaos.

"I'm sorry for being so quiet…it's just…this is all very surreal to me."

"You're definitely not alone on that one." Upon taking another swig of ale, he caught a glimpse his wife giving him a shy smile. The alcohol had to be kicking in. It's not like he had given her any reason to be happy at the moment.

"I often dreamt about a life like this."

Surely she had to be joking. "Living at the threshold of hell isn't exactly what I'd call a dream come true."

Avoiding his gaze, she looked down at her bottle of ale as her cheeks flushed a soft pink. "I meant having a life with you."

Her words tugged at his heart and made him feel even worse about the whole situation. She really had ignored his explanation of things. "I'm sorry you fell in love with someone like me."

Yuna frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"Because I've ruined your life."

"Dad," Trista interrupted, standing in the archway. "Lulu's here. She's with Vadina now."

"What are the odds of her casting a fira spell at me?"

From the way his daughter was gnawing on her bottom lip, he guessed the stakes were pretty high. "I'd have Mom cast shell on you before coming into the room."

"That sounds encouraging." Preparing for a heated confrontation, he took another swig of ale before heading into the other room to greet the fiery mage.

The moment Tidus entered the room, he was certain Lulu would lash out with some strong words, but from the looks of things, she was preoccupied with aiding her son. Her fingertips were on his temples as she sat beside him on the sofa with her eyes shut in concentration.

When Yuna joined him in the room, he held a finger up to his lips, urging her silence as they stood and watched. The last thing he wanted was for them to interrupt. Lulu would probably flambé him on the spot.

Out of all his friends, Lulu hadn't really changed much over the years. He found it comforting and scary at the same time. Aside from the couple age spots near her eyes and wearing her long ebony hair in a bun, she looked the same as she did when he returned to Spira. Only now, she had a wardrobe full of different gothic dresses to choose from, which often resulted in specific color for every day of the week—apparently, today's was funeral purple.

After several more minutes passed, Lulu's eyes fluttered open as her arms dropped to her sides. Her body language spoke volumes. Between her head hanging in defeat and the way her shoulders slumped, it was clear the ritual hadn't worked.

In the next instant, her eyes were on him, and they appeared to be full of contempt. Uneasy from her deathly glare, he ran a nervous hand through his disheveled hair and prepared to grovel. "Lulu, I'm sorry about—"

"Save it, Tidus! It's a little late for apologies."

"I never intended for your son to get mixed up in this."

The gifted mage rose to her feet and slowly approached him, her cross expression easing into a look of disappointment. "Why didn't' you come to Wakka and I about this? We were like family once."

His throat tightened with emotion, realizing how many lives had been impacted by his misguided motives. "I didn't want to involve any of you. I thought I could protect everyone. I thought…I thought I could handle this on my own."

"Why do you always insist on shouldering everything? You really haven't changed much. It was always about you and your story, so eager to play the hero. Not once have you ever considered how your actions would affect the lives of those around you. And look where it's gotten you today."

Leave it to Lulu to give him a harsh dose of reality. All these years he thought he'd grown, only to learn he was still the same selfish boy he had always been. "You're right," he muttered.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, until his daughter broke it with a question that was on his mind as well. "Will Vadina recover his memory?"

"Not through any means I can provide. This is not a typical case of amnesia where we're dealing with some structural damage to the brain. When I began the ritual, I sensed something odd blocking the receptors in the limbic system. Delving deeper, I felt what us elite mages call an incadess. It's an impenetrable magical field, which can only be removed by the ones who conjured it."

Definitely not the answer he had been hoping for. "There must be some other way."

"So…I'll never regain my memory?" Yuna asked, sadly.

"I wouldn't say that. Spells like this aren't eternal. If the caster ceases to exist, so does the spell."

Finally, the glimmer of hope he had been waiting on. "It all boils down to killing those keepers then."

A determined look shone in Lulu's eyes. "The sooner, the better."

"Wait, so we're gonna have to do this without Mom and Vadina?"

"We don't have a choice, sweetheart. This was always our battle to fight."

"Will you ever learn?" Lulu shook her head, disappointed. "You're not going into this battle alone. I'm coming with you."

"Someone needs to say here with Yuna and Vadina."

The fiery mage rested her hands on her hips, signifying she was anything but pleased with his suggestion. "Are you really that foolish? These keepers are isolating you and your daughter for a reason. By striping both Vadina and Yuna of their memories, they have rendered them almost useless in battle. Face it, you need my help."

He had to admit, having a mage of Lulu's caliber on their side was desperately needed with the recent turn of events. "And what do we do about my wife and your son?"

"We'll take them with us and protect them."

Already his gut was telling him this was a bad idea. "Can't Wakka just come here and watch over them?"

"Dad, there's no time! Things keep getting worse."

"Stop!" Yuna cried. "I know I've lost my memory, but I'm not an invalid. Lulu, you know I learned to use black magic on our travels."

Lulu's face softened. "Implementing them in battle is another story, Yuna."

"I'm sorry, but if the fayth really are these evil keepers, then I intend to fight them, too!"

"So do, I!" Vadina proclaimed, leaping off the couch to join them with his sword in hand. "If we have to kill these things for my memory to return, then I'm in."

"Looks like you're outnumbered," Lulu said, smugly.

Unfortunately, the horrible feeling he had in the pit of his stomach wasn't going away. And his gut was almost always proven right. "Kilika temple is the closest hole leading to the Farplane."

"Then, let's get moving, shall we?" The raven haired mage headed over to the door with the rest of their entourage.

Tidus hesitated before following suit. This feeling of dread was all consuming. He really hoped it was his anxiety getting the best of him. With one last gander of the inside of his home, he shut the door and bid a silent plea to the gods.


	18. Slaying the Dreamer

**Chapter 18**

The last time Tidus had set foot into Kilika temple—or any temple for that matter—was on Yuna's pilgrimage. After meeting with Bahamut the night he returned, he made it a point to steer clear of all the temples and had succeeded in doing so with generating minimal suspicion, since everyone presumed it was due to a fear of fading again. It wasn't until he stood on the edge of that hole leading into the foggy abyss, in a building used to worship the false gods he would soon battle, that his true fear became apparent—failure.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"It's gonna be alright. I just know it."

He must've looked pretty glum for his daughter to feel the need to reassure him—it was usually the other way around. "Yeah, I just need a minute."

"We're wasting precious time!" Lulu snapped.

Tidus frowned, miffed at the fiery mage's eagerness. "Do you have any idea what we're about to face down there?"

"Don't pretend like you know. We're all going into this blind. I'm as prepared as you are to fight whatever those things really are. And we all know what's at stake the longer we wait."

What were a few minutes, really? The more he stared down that hole, the more anxious he became as if jumping into it would somehow ensure his doom.

"I may not remember our life together, but I know on my pilgrimage you taught me to never give up hope. You made the impossible, possible. I thought I'd have to die for Spira to find a reprieve, but we found another way. And from everything you told me as hard as it is to accept…I'm not the one who brought the eternal calm to Spira. It was you."

The chamber fell silent. He never really thought of it that way. And most of all, he would never trivialize what his wife had gone through on her pilgrimage. It had always been a combined effort. "Yuna, I—"

"I'm not finished. These keepers brought you to Spira to defeat Yu Yevon. And you did so with our help. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I know we can do the same with the rest of those keepers. We just need to have a little faith."

Something he was definitely short on these days. Oddly enough, it wasn't so much the looming battle which worried him, but rather what would come after if they succeeded. "Let's just get this over with."

Vadina nodded. "Agreed."

With a deep breath, Tidus leapt into the hole along with his entourage, now welcoming whatever fate had in store.

The moment his feet hit solid ground, he expected to be in a darkened area swarming with pyreflies from what Yuna had described when she fought Vegnagun years ago. Instead, he was surrounded by flowers and an all too familiar pink sky. Either his wife's story had been inaccurate, or something had happened to shift the Farplane glen directly under them. "Was this area supposed to be under Kilika?"

Lulu shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Truly none of them knew what to expect. And that's what worried him the most. "I know this is gonna sound strange coming from me, but I really wish we had some sort of battle plan."

"Are all those keepers the same?" Trista asked.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"Spira's keepers, are they the same kind of beings as Zanarkand's?"

By the sounds of it, his daughter had a plan. "I believe so. Bahamut told me they were some kind of energy beings. Whatever that means."

Judging from the way her face brightened, he assumed his answer was a favorable one. "Light! They're afraid of light. The keeper pretending to be Mom freaked out when I was gonna turn on the lights."

"Interesting," Lulu said, tapping a finger to her chin in thought. "The fayth—I mean these keepers never really appeared in the light, unless they were in a form of an aeon, or possessing another living being. It seems they need some kind of armor to be in it."

"What about the temple chambers?" Yuna inquired. "They were lit."

"Yes, by glyphs," Lulu indicated. "Those are a magical light source. It's not the same as what Trista is proposing."

"Nah, it won't work. Bahamut met with me in my home in Zanarkand and every light was on."

"You were visited by Bahamut before coming to Spira?" Lulu asked, surprised.

"Well no, it was when I—" Tidus paused, remembering it happened when he passed out on Mount Gagazet. "No…it was an illusion, not the real thing."

"I have a theory," Lulu proposed. "What if these keepers are made up of mostly photons? Spira's power is sourced through a mix of both solar and electric. It would generate just enough radiation to do them harm."

Tidus quirked a brow. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Photons can be destroyed if they absorb a certain amount of radiation. If these keepers are made up of mostly photon energy, then it would explain why they're terrified of even a little bit of solar power. The ratio of which we use on Spira may not be enough to kill them, but seriously weaken them."

Whatever had possessed Lulu to become a physics buff made him eternally grateful. "That would explain why Thaliak suggested fighting them in the Farplane. That strange looking sun over there will help in some way."

"I don't pretend to know the exact make-up of the Farplane, but I somehow doubt that sun is related to the one above ground, since it's not exactly warm down here."

Lulu had a point. Fixating on the strange light source in the sky, something finally occurred to him. Since Hydaelyn and the twelve gods did in fact exist, the Farplane was irrelevant. His eyes slightly widened upon realizing what that meant. "The Farplane itself is unholy armor."

"What are you talking about?" Lulu asked, stunned.

"No!" Yuna cried. "That can't be true."

"Dad, that sounds crazy."

"Yeah I might not remember who I am, but I do know dis place is where the dead rest."

"Do they look like they're resting to you?" he asked, motioning with a hand to all the pyreflies flying around them. "They're trapped. This is a prison."

Lulu folded her arms and gave him a questionable look. "If that's true, how was your father able to travel to Zanarkand to meet with their keepers?"

"I can answer that," a gruff voice came from behind.

Surprised to see his father's ghostly image emerge from the foggy abyss, Tidus hitched a breath and staggered back a step. "Dad?"

Yuna gasped. "Sir, Jecht."

"Grandpa, is that really you?"

"I'd say in the flesh, but those keepers made that impossible," Jecht replied with a chuckle.

Something about this wasn't right. Everyone could hear his father speaking. He thought communication with those in the Farplane was only achieved through telepathic means. "How is it that everyone can hear you?"

"I only communicated with you telepathically because I was afraid those keepers would overhear. Look, I can't stay like this for long. It takes a lot of energy. My boy's, right. This place is a prison. The only reason I can travel between here and Arcadia is because I'm not originally from this realm."

"What's Arcadia?" Lulu asked.

"Zanarkand's version of the Farplane. Even though I merged with this realm, part of my soul is still tied to Zanarkand. We don't rest here or in Arcadia. We wander aimlessly, yearning to be near some big blue crystal."

"Hydaelyn," Tidus mumbled. "Your soul wishes to return to Hydaelyn, the mothercrystal."

"Son, call on us when the time comes. Not only will you defeat those keepers, but you'll set us all free at the same time."

"I don't understand."

"You'll know what I mean." His father ghostly image began to fade. "Just follow that gut of yours." And then, he was gone.

"That was certainly…unexpected," Lulu murmured.

Yuna's face dropped. "All those times I performed a sending…I was banishing souls to an eternal prison."

The regret in his wife's voice made him feel ill inside. "It's not your fault. You didn't know."

"What do you think Grandpa meant by call on them?"

Good question. He wasn't too sure himself. And they had yet to figure out a way for a light source to help them in their current location. He was tired of strategizing. He wanted to annihilate these demons and roast their heads on a spit.

"Not sure Tris, but I'm gonna trust we'll figure it out when we need to." Shoving a hand into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out the aether crystal and held it up by his thumb and index finger. "We ready for this?"

"Stop procrastinating, already!" Lulu chided.

Trista nodded. "We got this, Dad. Let's liberate Spira and bring Zak home."

Pursing his lips, he forced a steady stream of air onto the exquisite crystal. The pink sky suddenly turned a menacing shade of red. Ten human forms materialized in front of them, all of which were dressed in ancient cloaks, but each one varying in size, gender, and age.

The familiar child-like being in purple clothing stepped forward. "An aether crystal. I can't say I'm surprised Thaliak would interfere. I guess this means you haven't come here to accept my offer, have you Trista?"

His daughter's face twisted into a scowl. "You really think I'm gonna roll over and die for an empty promise?"

"It wasn't empty. We've already demonstrated we can effectively wipe memories. The offer still stands. We'll make this all go away and bring your brother home. Just surrender your powers to us."

"Back off!" Tidus growled. "She's not gonna fall for your crap! All the pain and suffering you've caused will end today. Including this holding cell you've created to ensnare every soul in Spira."

The hooded being slowly shook its head. "Foolish mortals. You really have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

"Ending your existence for one," Lulu replied, smugly.

"The only thing you'll be ending is your own lives in this endeavor. Very well. If that is your wish, we'll be happy to oblige."

The ten keepers hung their heads in what looked like the beginning of some cult-like ceremony, then levitated slightly off the ground. Just when Tidus thought things couldn't get any creepier, their bodies began to swell into monstrous proportions. The colorful cloaks on their backs tore into shreds as their arms and legs stretched into long glowing limbs of tattered flesh. But what struck him most were the sharp claws wiggling at their sides. As the keepers unfolded into twelve-foot creatures, their hoods ripped open, revealing deformed heads with wide bug-like eyes and a giant hole for a mouth.

"Daddy?"

Being a responsible parent, he responded in the only way which made sense in a situation like this. "Run!"

"Wait, what?!" Trista cried.

"We need to get to that lake up ahead! You'll need it to summon Leviathan. Now, let's go!"

Allowing his daughter to take the lead, he took his position at the back of the group and raced behind them toward the body of water, guarded by a set of enormous crystalline pillars. Being an athlete sure had its advantages, especially in a situation like this. However, not everyone was having an easy time with the dash to the lake. Lulu's choice in attire was slowing her down. No matter how much she hiked up her long gothic dress, her momentum hadn't changed. The boots she wore underneath didn't look like they were made to run in.

And as expected, her unique fashion sense became a liability. The grip she had on the lacy fabric must've loosened, resulting in one of her boots snagging on the hem of her dress. In the next instant, she was face down on the ground.

Almost skidding to a stop, Tidus bent down, grabbed the black mage by the arm, and pulled her to her feet. A deep, guttural screech pierced his ears from behind. The moment he turned to face whatever had made the ghastly noise, he was met with a fiery blast, knocking him several feet away and onto the ground.

"DAD!"

Whatever spell the keeper had hit him with burned like hell. It felt like hot liquid magma was coursing through his body. "I'm fine! Just keep going!"

Gritting through the pain, he staggered to his feet, just in time to see the keeper in question light up in a colorful explosion from being hammered with Lulu's ultima's spells.

The other nine keepers had almost caught up to what he suspected was Bahamut, now being pummeled by a series of flares. He doubted the vile being would allow Lulu to continue her onslaught on him for much longer. With that in mind, he fired off a steady stream of force spells, each one blasting the keeper in its repulsive face.

"Lulu, get outta there now!"

For once, the raven haired mage listened to him and took off running toward the lake up ahead. His attack on Bahamut hadn't been as effective as he had hoped. The vicious keeper seemed unfazed, zooming through the air toward him at an impressive rate.

In an effort to steer Bahamut away from the rest of the group, Tidus ran down bank with the evil being hot on his heels. This was definitely not how he envisioned the battle starting out. His spells should've at least wounded the keeper. At this rate, he was beginning to think he had underestimated these beings.

Just then, he heard a splash accompanied by a loud wail. Suspecting his daughter had finally summoned Leviathan, he changed course and ran into the lake. The giant serpent barrelled toward the keeper, diving in and out of the water in pursuit. With the summon charging into battle, the opportunity to strike had conveniently presented itself.

Coming to a halt, he turned and slammed the keeper with another set of force spells. One by one, the spells erupted in a bright blast, pushing the being a step back each time. Before Bahamut could retaliate, the blue serpent rocketed over and snatched the keeper up in its massive jaw, then plunged under the water.

He doubted Bahamut had met his demise so easily. Whatever his daughter had planned with Leviathan had better be spectacular, since these keepers proved to be quite difficult to kill. Racing over to the edge of the lake to join the rest of the group, he spotted the remaining keepers descending upon them with their mangled, glowing arms stretched out as if they were preparing to blast the group with a spell.

Both his wife and Lulu must've anticipated such an outcome from how they simultaneously opened with firaga, then switched to consecutive ultima blasts. When the spells only seemed to slow the keepers down, Vadina charged forward and swung his sword, tearing a long gash into the mid-section of the keeper in front. The young man hadn't stopped there. Dashing to the side, he dodged a swipe from the keeper's sharp claw and leapt into the air. Upon his decent, he raised his sword and brought the blade down onto the tattered arm of the being, severing it off.

Two more keepers flew overhead and blasted the two mages with a spell, knocking them up into the air. The two women hit the water with a splash and did not resurface.

"Shit!" Tidus cursed, forcing his legs to move faster. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would beat out of his chest. Guided by the familiar tingling in his hands, he shot a barrage of force spells at the keepers, who were encircling the spot in the lake where his wife and Lulu had landed. The spells struck with such force, one of the keepers burst into flames and let out an agonizing wail as it crumbled into a pile of ash.

Just when he thought his heart would explode from the mere idea of his wife meeting her untimely death, Leviathan re-emerged from the depths with both mages clinging to its scales. The serpent swung its head and tossed the limp keeper still clamped in its jaw into the lake. After letting out a triumphant shriek, a blue stream of magical energy erupted from the summon's mouth and collided into three other keepers, vaporizing them.

The outstanding attack had clearly overexerted his daughter with how she sank to her knees, panting. Rushing to her side, Tidus bent down, wrapped her arm around his neck as he supported her waist, then lifted her to her feet. "Don't quit on me now. We got half of them down."

"So tired," she said, breathless.

"C'mon, we're almost there. No school for a week after, I promise. Think of all the time you can spend with Vadina."

"You must be desperate," she said with a weak chuckle.

"Whatever you just did with that summon of yours, you need to do it again."

Trista nodded then fanned a hand out in the direction of the majestic serpent. The summon zigzagged in the water, skillfully dodging all of the keepers spells while the two mages clung to its back, rotating between flare and holy casts. From the looks of things, Vadina wasn't fairing too badly either between his calculated sword strikes and rolling out the way of the keepers' fiery blasts.

When Leviathan opened its jaw and prepared to unleash another deadly attack, a loud splash from behind followed by a high-pitched screech prompted Tidus to turn around. And not a second too soon as a giant claw whooshed down, barely missing him as he leapt back. Certain the keeper towering over him was Bahamut; he aimed his hand at the being's deformed head and blasted it with a set of force spells.

"DAD!"

The commotion had obviously distracted his daughter—something they really couldn't afford to have happen at the moment. "I got this! Just finish whatcha were doing!"

"But—"

"Just trust me, dammit! You need to take those keepers out!"

Luring the keeper away from where his daughter stood, he continued his onslaught of spells. One hand blasted at the being's gut and the other focused on its black hole for a mouth. In the midst of his casts, he realized Bahamut was not like the other keepers. None of his spells were effective. He assumed after Leviathan had gnawed on the vile being for a bit, it would've been seriously wounded, or dead, like he had initially hoped. Yet somehow, this keeper seemed to be unscathed.

"Why won't you die, you Bastard!"

The keeper's claws lit up in a bright flash. And then, the searing pain came in his chest. One after another, the being's spells struck him, forcing him to stagger back a little further with each blast, until he collapsed on the side of the bank. He had no idea what it felt like to be burned alive, but he was sure he had come close to experiencing it. His insides felt like they had turned to mush and he swore his heart had stopped beating for what seemed like a few seconds.

It was evident Bahamut intended to finish the job from the way the glowing keeper towered over him and aimed its claw at his chest. The putrid odor of rotting flesh permeated in front of him, undoubtedly emitting from the being's black void of a mouth. Wincing in pain, he held a hand against his chest as he struggled to breathe. "It doesn't matter if you kill me, you know. If we don't succeed, Zanarkand will. Either way, you'll still cease to exist."

A child-like voice popped into his head, _"You're wrong. Once your daughter loses everything, she'll be more than willing to aid us. The young are impressionable. Suddenly, the offer to bring her brother home and have her memories wiped of those she lost will be a favorable one. Living such a life is far better than ceasing to exist completely. Our goal has always been to force your daughter's hand."_

The searing heat returned to his chest when a steady stream of rancid energy flowed out of the keeper's claw and invaded his body. He cringed. It felt like acid was being poured over his innards. No. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. He rolled his head to the side. In the distance, the blue serpent vaporized four more keepers as the battle raged on. They were winning.

Suddenly, the pain radiating throughout his body served as a reminder that he was still alive. His eyes fell on one of the enormous crystalline pillars in the lake. Fighting through the sheer agony from the keeper's continuous attack, he allowed his emotions to take over while he focused intently on his task.

The unique structure rumbled and shook. A piece of crystal the size of Leviathan broke off and sped forth. Grunting and cringing from both pain and concentration, Tidus rotated the crystal as it hurled through the air to ensure the sharp end was aimed at Bahamut.

The vindictive keeper's wide soulless depths stared down at him, much too engrossed with watching the life drain from his eyes to suspect the makeshift weapon whizzing through the air. Tidus couldn't help but grin through the agony.

Bahamut snapped his boulder-sized head up just in time as the ridged crystal plowed through his deformed skull, ripping his head off his shoulders and impaling it against the cliff by the waterfall. With a loud groan, Tidus rolled to his side in an effort to dodge the keeper's lifeless body. The second the corpse hit the ground it disintegrated into thin air.

"DAD!" In an instant, his daughter was at his side, fussing over him. "Daddy, are you alright?"

"Don't let up! Finish them off!"

A ghost of a smile played upon her lips. "Dad, they're all dead. We did it."

"Tidus!" Now it was Yuna's turn to kneel at his side and fuss. "Thank goodness you're alright."

Well, he was still breathing, so that was a good sign. He wasn't too sure about his organs, though. Whatever the hell Bahamut had done to him felt nothing short of liquefying his insides. However, if that were the case, he wouldn't be having a conversation right now.

He grimaced as he sat up and scanned the area. All seemed calm—eerily calm. Even Leviathan's gingerly movements in the water seemed to bother him for some reason.

"You had us worried," Lulu said, smoothing a hand over her torn dress. "We didn't think we'd reach you in time."

"We didn't," Vadina indicated. "That crystal saved his ass."

"Language!" Lulu scolded. "You know I hate when you and your father curse."

The young man's face dropped. "Hey, I thought killin' those things would get my memory back."

"You still don't know who you are?" Trista asked, surprised.

Vadina shook his head.

"I don't remember everything either," Yuna murmured.

Something wasn't right. Staggering to his feet, he timidly limped along the bank and searched for anything suspicious.

"That's impossible!" Lulu cried. "The texts state when the caster dies, spells such as this are broken."

"What if Bahamut wasn't the one who conjured the incadess?" Tidus asked.

"Well, I don't suspect he did it alone. Conjuring something of that magnitude usually requires more than one caster. But they're all dead. It doesn't make sense."

A grim thought had just occurred to him. "We killed ten of them. How many so-called fayth were around when Zanarkand was destroyed in Spira?"

He didn't think it was possible for Lulu's face to grow any paler, but somehow, his question prompted it to turn as white as the moonlight. "All those surviving citizens weren't conversions, were they?"

Yuna drew in a quick breath. "There had to be…"

"Thousands," Tidus finished.

At that moment, Thaliak's words echoed in his head, _"Just be aware it can have a delayed effect."_

And as fate would have it, an army of ghoulish keepers materialized in the meadow of flowers to the south of them.

"No," Trista said in an anguished whisper.

"How are we supposed to fight all those?" Vadina asked, his eyes widening in shock.

Tidus hung his head and muttered, "We can't."

Just as the army of keepers charged forward, a loud bang echoed throughout the Farplane followed by a bright flash. Suddenly, the ghoulish army came to halt and pounded on what looked like an invisible barrier.

"Gotta love technology," a cocky male voice came from behind, "especially, when my team builds it."

"I knew there was something fishy going on. I can't believe you'd lie to me, Yunie."

A wide grin spread across his lips. He had never been so happy to hear Gippal and Rikku's voices. He didn't know how the Al Bhed couple found out where they were, but frankly, he didn't care at the moment. They had a reprieve.

"What are you two doing here?" Lulu asked.

"Ask your son," Rikku said, pointing an accusing finger at the young man. "He's the one who sent us a series of text messages from his mobile sphere in the middle of the night."

In every practical sense, Tidus should've been irate at the young man's actions, but in this case, Vadina's defiant nature may have actually paid off.

"I'd say we showed up just in time, don't you?" Gippal adjusted a rather odd, clunky looking gun in his arms and kissed the side of the barrel. "I knew this would come in handy one day."

Tidus raised his brow. "Is that what you shot at those keepers?"

"You betcha! Latest Machine Faction invention called the Gravilous. It's a fusion of gravitational energy and the type used in healing magic. Together with a spark of plasma and _poof_ , we got a magical barrier."

"How long does something like that last?" Trista asked.

"All depends, really. So far, we got it working up to ten minutes."

From the way those keepers were aiming their claws at the barrier, he doubted they even had that long. Just then, a pyerfly passed in front of his face, then another, followed by another, and then it finally dawned on him what his father had meant earlier. Looking up at the strange light source in the sky, Tidus grinned and prepared to follow his gut.

"What in Spira are you smiling about?" Lulu asked.

"I think I know how we can win this."

"Do tell," Gippal urged.

"We need to rip open the Farplane."

"What!?" Rikku shrieked.

Yuna rushed to his side with a disconcerted look on her face. "There must be another way."

"I'm afraid not."

"Have you lost your mind?" The fiery mage rested her hands on her hips and tapped her boot on the ground. "Even if you could do such a thing, we'd probably all die in the process."

"Do you see that army over there? If we don't do something soon, we're all dead anyway. And Spira will be destroyed not long after."

"How do we do it, Dad?"

At least his daughter understood the urgency of the matter. "Same way as we defeated the dragon at Baaj temple. I'll need you to gather all the pyreflies. Then, together, we'll need to use them to pierce through that strange looking sun over there. I just don't know if we'll have enough time."

"You said one of the components of that weapon is energy from healing magic, correct?" Lulu inquired.

Rikku nodded in reply.

"Then maybe if we cast a continuous flow of healing magic on the barrier it will prolong the affects."

"Sounds like it could work." Gippal aimed the gun in the direction of the wailing army. "I'll keep firing off this baby until it runs outta juice. It'll definitely help, since it looks like they're about to try to blast through with a spell."

"Better work fast," Vadina warned. "Their claws are already glowing."

Just as Gippal fired off the gun, the three women blasted the barrier with a steady flow of healing magic. At the same time, an explosion of spells erupted from the other side in a retaliatory attack from the keepers trying to bust through the magical field.

With a sturdy hand on his daughter's shoulder, he signaled for her to proceed with a nod. "We only got one shot, kid. Let's make it count."

His daughter's expression turned fierce as she waved a hand in the air. Suddenly, all the pyreflies in the area began to gather, swooping down then up above them. Another line of pyreflies came from the south, then from the east, and then from every direction until every last one had gathered into a massive glowing ball in the sky.

It was now his turn. Directing the swirling orb of souls with his mind and his hand, they shot forth toward the odd looking sun and twisted into the shape of an enormous shimmering dagger.

"Tidus, hurry!" Yuna cried.

"This things almost outta juice!"

"We can't hold them back much longer!" Rikku hollered.

Struggling to focus, he drowned out all sounds and concentrated on his task. The makeshift dagger collided into an invisible barrier of its own. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. "Tris, help me push it through!"

His daughter must've heard his plea from how it looked like the dagger was leaving an impression on the scenery as if it were made of rubber. At this rate, it felt like his brain was going to explode and his body would burst into flames. They had to do this, even if it killed him. With a loud agonizing groan, he pushed his mind to the brink.

Just when the dagger of pyreflies pierced through, the Farplane lit up in a bright blast.


	19. Shudder Before the Beautiful

**Chapter 19**

Death would've been a sweet comfort compared to the pain he had just experienced. It felt like part of his brain had burst out from his skull. Feeling a solid surface underneath him, he opened his eyes and was met with a blinding light. The last thing he remembered was a massive explosion rocking the Farplane. He had seen the pyreflies break through, so they had to have succeeded. At least, he hoped they had.

When his eyes finally focused, a beautiful woman with wavy auburn tresses came into view. The bright light surrounding her faded into a subtle glow, revealing her stunning golden gown. "Nymeia?"

"Hello, Tidus."

Shifting his weight, he rolled on his side then rose to his feet with a groan. His heart froze. He was surrounded by darkness with the only light emitting from the goddess. It was the same darkness those keepers had banished him into for two years. And it became painfully apparent he was all alone with his family and friends nowhere to be seen. "Am I dead?"

The beautiful goddess smiled warmly. "No."

"Then where am I? And where's—what happened?"

"You were successful in your task. Spira's keepers have been destroyed. You're safe, Tidus. Your family and friends are as well. They're…with you."

Clearly, gods were as cryptic as keepers. With everything he had gone through, he would much rather get straight to the point than play this game. "Look, I mean no disrespect. I just wanna know where they are. And where I am for that matter."

"They're in the darkened underground beneath Spira's surface. It's all that remains since the Farplane was destroyed. They're alive and well as you lay in a comatose state for the duration of our meeting here in the Nexus."

He would've asked about the Nexus if he weren't more concerned with the fact he was in a coma. "That's only temporary right?"

From the way the corner of her mouth curved into a half-smile, he wasn't so sure. "Thaliak made it seem like you'd appear to all of us. Why am I here with you alone?"

"You need to earn my favor. I chose you and you alone, for reasons I'm sure you're well aware of."

"Because we're…family?"

"Hydaelyn never forbid us from, shall we say, engaging with mortals. However, it's frowned upon by the other gods." Nymeia's smile faded. "And for good reason. As an immortal you can never rest. You're subjected for an eternity to watch mortals from afar. Interacting with them on occasion, but never permitted to stay by their side for long. They live and they die, only to return to Hydaelyn for rebirth, or if they so choose, eternity in the Promised Land. Somewhere a god can never reside."

He felt a pang in his heart for this goddess. It seemed so unfair. Her choice to love a mortal had condemned her to an eternity of torment. And he thought he had problems. "I dunno what to say. Sorry doesn't seem appropriate enough."

"It was my choice. I have to live an eternity with it. Free will is a gift Hydaelyn bestows on us all. What we choose to do with it defines our souls." The goddess inched closer and looked at him in a scrutinizing manner. "As someone who has made a series of bad choices in life, I want to see if you've grown. You wish for me to liberate a realm. What will you offer in return?"

Honestly, he wasn't surprised it would come down to a negotiation of sorts. His damn gut sensed it a mile away. "This is what's meant by earning your favor?"

"If you wish for Spira to be liberated then you must earn my respect. I ask the questions and you will provide me with answers, are we clear?"

Suddenly this goddess didn't seem so inviting. Relation or not, he was already receiving bad vibes and he hadn't even pleaded his case for his son's return. "I understand. I'll play your game, but I have another favor to ask of you."

The glower he received in return clearly indicated she wasn't impressed. "Liberating a realm is not a small favor you ask of a god. And you wish to add something more?"

"My son was taken by Zanarkand's keepers. It was my fault it happened. I made a bad decision. My son and my family shouldn't have to suffer for my stupid mistake. Is there any way I can earn your favor to bring him home? Is it even possible?"

"So, you wish for me to undo a bad choice of yours as well?"

Sensing she would dismiss his request if he failed to respond favorably, he prepared to swallow his pride and remain humble. "I wish for my son to return home. I'm aware of my mistakes. I'm not asking for a pardon on them or for them to be reversed."

To his surprise, Nymeia's face softened. "Very well. I'll grant both of your requests, if you succeed in earning my favor. You'll only get one chance. I suggest choosing your answers wisely. I'll rephrase my previous question in order for you to make a sound decision. What are you willing to sacrifice for this realm's freedom and your son's safe return?"

The moment those words left her lips, he knew exactly what she was hinting at. His blood ran cold. Damn his gut feelings. He really would never return home. His heart tore in half, imagining how heartbroken his wife and children would be when he took his last breath. They would be together again, someday, at least that's how Nymeia made it sound. He really had no other choice. "My life. I'll give my life."

The goddess seemed surprised from how she arched a brow. "You'd die for your family and for Spira?"

"Yes."

"Noble. I wouldn't have expected anything less from you. Tell me, Tidus, what if I rejected your offer and suggested it was inadequate?"

Surely this had to be some sort of trick. He couldn't imagine she was serious. Death was the ultimate sacrifice—not that he was thrilled about it, but failing to do so would result in Zanarkand's keepers claiming Spira and everyone in that realm ceasing to exist. "I'm not sure where you're going with this. I can't imagine offering anything more significant."

"I can. Immortality can be lonely once you've loved a mortal. What if I seek for you to join me?"

His stomach dropped. After hearing her story earlier, he knew what that entailed. Living for eternity, never to reunite with his family, having every memory and emotion still present—it was a fate worse than death. Furious the goddess would ask for him to pay such a price, he balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw. "You wanna subject me to the same torture you live with?! How the hell is that fair?!"

"There is nothing fair about consciousness. Mortals and immortals alike all face difficult choices. Let me remind you what your loved ones face if you fail. Ceasing to exist is exactly how it sounds. The souls of everyone you love are destroyed forever. I've learned to take comfort in knowing those souls I love live on in some form."

Nothing could have ever prepared him for this moment. He should've sided with Zanarkand. At the very least, he'd be with his family. Even if they were forced to wander in Arcadia upon death, they would still be together. This was complete madness.

Suddenly, it felt as if someone was sitting on his chest. His pulse quickened and his breaths grew labored in what quickly escalated into the worse panic attack of his life. Dropping to his knees, he slammed his fists onto the blackened surface as tears escaped his eyes. He loved his family far too much to condemn them to such a fate. "I'll join you. Just please…please allow me to see them one last time…to say goodbye."

"There will be no need for that. They won't remember who you are. You'll be replaced by another man. As for the rest of Spira, all of what those keepers had done will be erased. There will be no memory of the fayth or the creation of Sin. The minds of all alive will be cleansed of such pain."

Rage pulsed through his veins. Another man with his wife and kids? Erasing memories? His head throbbed and his arms shook with fury. Twisting his face into a scowl, he snapped his head up and looked the goddess in the eye. "NO! That was not part of the deal!"

"I don't recall this being a negotiation."

Slowly climbing to his feet, he inched toward the goddess with clenched fists at his side as every facet of his soul filled with malice. "That's _my_ family. Those are _my_ children. They're _my_ flesh and blood! You would have them live a lie?! Cleansing minds? You're far worse than the beings I just destroyed!"

A small smile crept up on Nymeia's lips. "I can see inside your soul. You wish to fight me. I can assure you that's a battle you cannot win."

Much too consumed by his own rage to care, he fired a set of force spells at the goddess only to be knocked back by a bright blast. Landing hard on his side, he groaned and slowly climbed to his feet. He had grown desperate. It was as if had lost both his soul and sanity at the same time.

"Tell me, Tidus, are you furious because of another man taking your place? Or is it everyone's memory being wiped that drives your rage?"

This goddess was a monster. She represented everything he fought against since coming to Spira. "All of it! You want my family and all of Spira to live a lie! I was prepared to accept a fate worse than death for all of them. What you're proposing is nothing short of robbing them of their free will. Wiping memories, changing history, all of that nullifies every choice they had ever made. It effectively changes who they are and how their souls have grown. Hydaelyn should destroy you and any god who plans to purge those she created of the one gift that defines us all!"

"Will you still join me, Tidus?"

Somehow, he wasn't surprised by her persistence. He never presumed to know how the universe operated. And up until now, he never really cared, but after learning how it was full of corruption, maybe ceasing to exist wasn't so bad after all. "I refuse. If corruption is truly all life has to offer, then maybe we're all a failed experiment and shouldn't exist. Besides, if we can't choose our own fate then what's the sense of being alive anyway?"

The goddess smiled a toothy grin. "I'm proud of you."

Baffled at her response, he staggered a step back. "I—how come—what do you mean?"

"Most conscious beings fail to understand Hydaelyn's gift. It's widely taken for granted. Yes, corruption is everywhere, since it's an extension of free will. But as long as there are those who oppose it, then it will never become a dominate force. You strongly oppose corruption. Your soul repels it. Even though you've made some poor choices in life, your heart is still pure. We all make mistakes. Learning from them is what truly shapes our souls. And now, Tidus, you finally understand what makes life worth living. Free will is the freedom to choose our own fate."

Almost immediately, the tension in his muscles eased. It was a test. The goddess of fate sought for him to understand the importance of what both she and Hydaelyn represented. He would've chuckled if he weren't still riled up from earlier. "Does that mean I've earned your favor?"

The goddess stepped forward, rested her hands on his shoulders and smiled warmly. "Never forget what you've learned. I will honor your requests and grant you what your heart desires. Now, return to your family and hurry home. Your son will be waiting for you."

Before he even had a chance to thank the goddess, the area lit up in a bright flash.

* * *

The pain returned, worse than before. Every muscle burned and ached. Thankfully, the pressure in his head had lessened to a dull throb. And then, something warm was on his face, moving and patting. Startled from the sensation, he opened his eyes with a gasp and was met with his wife's tear streaked face.

When her eyes locked with his, they lit up with joy. "Tidus! Oh, thank goodness, you're alright!"

All of a sudden, a blond lock of hair swatted him in the face. Before he had a chance to react, he felt a pair of arms squeeze around his ribs. "Ooph!"

"Daddy, I thought you were gonna die!"

He blew the strands of hair out of his face then kissed the top of his daughter's head as she clung to his chest. "I'm fine…with the exception of feeling like a shoopuf sat on me."

"Heeeyy!" Trista whined, sitting back on her legs.

"I don't mean you."

"Still got his sense of humor," Gippal chuckled. "He'll live."

Rikku waved an accusing finger at him. "You really had us worried, you know!"

Sitting up with a groan, he flashed the bubbly blond his famous grin. "I can see why you'd be concerned. With me gone, you'd only be left with poor Gippal to pick on."

The Machine Faction leader let out a chortle, which earned him a jab in the ribs from his wife.

Vadina leaned down and extended a hand out to him. Briefly hesitating, Tidus gripped the young man's forearm and rose to his feet. "Did you get your memory back?"

"Ya, I remember everythin' now. So does Yuna. Listen, I'm sorry 'bout the textin' thing."

"Don't be." Tidus gave the young man a sturdy pat on the shoulder. "If you hadn't done that we'd all be dead right now."

"Seein' those keepers burn up was a real relief. That's when my memory returned, too."

Tidus arched a brow. "Is that what happened? I remember a blast."

"The light killed them as we suspected," Lulu replied. "It poured out of the hole you and Trista made in the Farplane before consuming the entire area. And now, this is what's left," the black mage said, holding out her hands to emphasize their dark cave-like surroundings.

"Strange…where would the light come from?"

"Don't look at me," Rikku shrugged.

"Dad, did we do something wrong? Nymeia hasn't appeared yet."

"We did everything right, sweetheart. I've already met with her."

"You were knocked out," Yuna said, climbing to her feet.

"No, I was in a comatose state. Nymeia induced me in one so we can meet alone. Trust me, it's over. Let's go home. She said our son is waiting for us there."

The stunned look on his wife's face almost made him chuckle, that is, until her eyes filled with tears. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't lie about this."

The moment those words left his lips, his wife rushed into his arms. "This is really over? He's really home?" she laughed through tears.

"How about we go find out, huh?"

"Dad, what did you have to do to earn Nymeia's favor?"

"Fully understand the importance of being a free conscious soul."

His daughter cocked her head to the side and raised a brow in reply.

He chuckled at her reaction and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Let's get outta here. I'll tell you all about it on the way home."

With an arm around his wife's waist, he led his family and friends out of the underground and prepared for the journey back to Luca.


	20. Our Destiny

**Chapter 20**

The trek through Kilika forest had been interesting to say the least, especially when Rikku had a delayed reaction to their recent victory by bouncing around rather foppishly and whooping as if she were seventeen again. Of course, it was no surprise his daughter and Vadina had joined in the obnoxious behavior. At least, _they_ were acting their age.

When sharing his experience with Nymeia to the others, they seemed genuinely stunned at what he had been willing to sacrifice for all of them. Yuna, however, not so much, she knew him better than anyone and the lengths he'd go to in order to protect his family. And it was obvious from how her face had dropped; she hadn't been thrilled with his willingness to do such a task.

Before parting ways at the ferry docks, he promised Lulu he'd reconcile with Wakka once she had a chance to explain everything to him. In all honesty, he missed the jovial islander and was a bit concerned hearing how much he'd been hitting the ale lately. He certainly hoped to remedy that.

As for Rikku and Gippal, he could count on them dropping by near the end of the week like always. At least now, he didn't have to worry about keeping any secrets from them when they visited—just whether their three young boys found his son's scandalous magazine collection again.

And as much as he hated to admit it, Vadina was starting to grow on him. The young man was respectful for the most part and had a good heart like his father, Wakka. However, the moment Vadina's hands had slipped down past his daughter's waist when she kissed him goodbye, earned him a stern look. If dealing with his teenage daughter—who apparently inherited his raging hormones—was going to be his biggest challenge from now on, then he was eternally grateful in light of everything.

After surviving what had been a harrowing experience in the Farplane, the front door of his house had never been a more welcoming sight. He honestly never expected to return. For once, he was delighted his gut had been dead wrong.

Upon inserting the key into the lock, Yuna latched onto his wrist, preventing him from completing his task. "Wait, I need a minute to prepare in case…what if he's not inside?"

"Dad already told us Nymeia would bring Zak home. Now, c'mon I wanna see my brother."

His wife genuinely looked terrified of him turning the lock. Of course, her skepticism wasn't unfounded, considering how she hadn't been present to hear Nymeia's promise. Although, it did hurt a little that she still doubted his claim, which wasn't surprising either, since he'd concealed the truth about the keepers for years. "I'm gonna trust he's in there, Yuna. Either way, I'm still opening the door."

"No, wait!" she pleaded, gripping his wrist tighter. "How do we know for sure this realm is liberated? We have nothing to indicate it is other than this goddess' word."

Tidus looked into her anxious eyes and let out a long breath. "That's gonna have to be enough. Did you expect the sky to light up or something?"

"Mom, I know Zak's inside or somewhere close. I can feel him. Dad, just open the door, already."

Finally, the grip on his wrist eased, allowing him to turn the key and push open the door. Immediately upon entry, he was greeted by the spicy aroma of what smelled like gumbo. "When did our son learn to cook anything other than pizza pockets?"

Just then, a teenage boy with shaggy brown hair emerged from the dining room, grinning from ear to ear. "I thought I heard you guys."

Yuna reacted exactly how he anticipated, hitching a breath as tears of joy sprang to her eyes. "Zak," she said in a strained voice, before dashing over to wrap him into a tight embrace. "My baby, boy."

"Far from a baby, Mom," he said, rolling his eyes.

And not a second later, his daughter had joined in the joyous reunion, looping her arms around her twin's neck and squealing with glee. "I knew you were here. I could sense it."

It was certainly a relief to see his son alive and well, but he wasn't so sure Zak would be happy to see him. Had he not sent his father to Zanarkand, his son wouldn't have been taken by their keepers in the first place.

As if the young man had read his mind, he managed to tear himself away from the two women and approach him. The serious look on Zak's face made him nervous. He was almost positive he'd hear his son utter the same three words he had to his father on many occasions. In an effort to avoid such an outcome, rather than wait for Zak to speak, he chose to plea for his forgiveness. "I failed you, Son. I should never have sent my father to negotiate with those keepers. Had I known…I'm sorry…for everything."

"I'm here, aren't I? And it's because of you that I am. I knew you'd come through. You always do, Dad."

He certainly miscalculated his son's reaction. And truly, he couldn't be happier. The smile returned to Zak's face as he leaned in and gave him a sturdy hug.

Tidus' throat tightened with emotion as he blinked back the tears pooling in his eyes. Even in happy times like these, he still couldn't bring himself to let those tears escape in front of his children. With a deep breath, he regained his composure and stepped back to give his son an inquisitive look. "Since when can you make gumbo?"

A mischievous grin etched across Zak's face. "I can't. But I met someone in Zanarkand that makes a mean plate of it."

"Who made the meal then?" Yuna asked.

"Mmmmhmmm, I tell ya, dat some good n' spicy stuff right there. I betcha your daddy hadn't had anythin' like 'dis since we was kids."

After all he'd endured; he truly believed nothing could ever surprise him again, that is, until he heard that voice. In the next instant, a woman around his age with long ebony curls emerged from the kitchen. There may have been a couple tiny lines now present around the dimples in her deep bronze cheeks, but those lively brown eyes hadn't changed a bit in twenty years.

The tightened feeling in his throat returned. No longer worrying about displaying an emotional release in front of his children, he allowed the joyful tears pooling in his eyes to escape. "Trin, is that really you?"

"Who else gonna make a gumbo smell dat good?" Her smile quickly faded as she rested her hands on her hips. "Don't go cryin' on me now, ain't nobody die."

Laughing through tears, he raced over and threw his arms around her in a tight hug. "How's it possible you're even here?"

"S'pose I should ask you dat. But after searchin' fo' your dumb ass twenty years, I ain't complainin' any."

Feeling guilty from her admission, he pulled back and looked at her concerned. "You searched for me all this time?"

"Like a damn foo'."

"What about your family?"

"I wit my family now. Ain't hadda man stay long since I neva' stopped lookin' fo' ya. All 'em said I's lyin' 'boutcha being my big brotha 'cause we ain't look nottin' alike. Kept on sayin' you was an ol' flame."

"I'm sorry, Trin," he sighed heavily.

"S'all good. Imma snag me somethin' juicy before long, now dat I know where you at."

Just then, he heard Yuna clear her throat in what he took as a polite gesture to indicate his rudeness. "Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile before guiding the woman he considered to be his sister over for a proper introduction. "Trin, this is—"

"You must be, Yuna," she interjected, pulling her into a tight hug. "Ya boy, told me 'bout you's and Tidus' story. I always wanted a sista'."

"Tidus spoke fondly of you. He really missed you, you know."

The vivacious woman leaned back and looked at his wife with a serious expression. "He eva' get outta line, jus' let me know. I'll slap 'em upside da head fo' ya."

Yuna giggled. "I'll keep that in mind, but I have him trained pretty well."

"Oooo…I like you. Got some spunk ta ya." From the way Trin grinned and gave him a wink, he was afraid of what may leave her lips next. "Nottin' like dem floozies ya'd bring home afta' a game."

And knowing Trin, he should've expected anything less. After cringing from the glare he received from his wife, he shot his sister a stern look. "Thanks for that."

"Is that gumbo stuff ready?" Trista asked, eagerly. "I'm starving."

"Sure is sweetie-pie. My, you looks like your daddy too, huh? C'mon, best we finish talkin' while we eat. I ain't eaten no cold gumbo."

As he made his way over to the dining room with his family, it suddenly occurred to him what Nymeia had meant by granting him what his heart desired—his sister, Trin. Grateful and humbled the goddess chose to be so generous; he silently thanked her for all she had done.

It was upon sitting at the table surrounded by those he loved most when he decided to resign from his position as coach of the Goers. Bitzball was no longer his life. It was a boy's dream, something he wasn't any longer. He wasn't sure what he'd do instead as of yet, but spending more time with his family was definitely at the top of his priority list.

When he appeared in Spira almost twenty years ago, he would never have guessed in a million years his life would end up this way. Somehow, he had always expected a tragic end to his story. Even though, the journey had been filled with plenty of bumps, and even crashes, he wouldn't change a thing. It shaped him into the man he was today.

Spiran's would no longer be manipulated and controlled by an external force. He and his daughter had made sure of it. And if anything ever threatened to change that, he would gladly defend the world once again. Nothing in life was set in stone, but one thing was certain, he, along with the rest of Spira were now free to be the masters of their own destiny.

* * *

 _ **Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. Comments are welcome. Oh, and I realized the light source in the Farplane was actually a strange looking moon and not a sun, but I wasn't going to go back and change it for this story. So, hopefully everyone put on their 'imagination caps' for that bit. And if anyone noticed, yes, I did have some help for chapter titles from some of my favorite metal bands.**_


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